Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Part 1)

Ephesians 1:3-14

When I mentioned the title of this message to someone they replied, "Not too original." It may not be original but it is exactly what this passage is saying. Paul is describing for us the three-fold work of salvation carried out by God through each person of the Trinity. He is declaring that each person in the Godhead has an absolutely crucial part in this salvation that He provides to mankind.

As we begin looking at this letter we will see that Paul divides it into two sections; chapters 1-3 and chapters 4-6. The first 3 chapters lay the theological groundwork for the subsequent chapters. If we miss the foundation of the first three chapters we will miss how to apply the final chapters to everyday life. The first three chapters describe our relationship to the Father because we are in Christ. The term "in Christ" is an important one, occurring 23 times in the first three chapters. It refers to the fact that God, in placing us "in Christ," has given us complete access to Himself, even as Jesus does. And it is in this "in Christ" way that we are to live as believers.

I encourage you, as you read through Ephesians in preparing to hear these messages, that you underline every time the words, "in Christ," or "in Him," or "In the beloved" occur. Then meditate on just what God says this means that we are "in Christ."

Now our passage at hand this morning is the English major’s nightmare. In the original, these verses are one complete sentence (all 202 words). This is why translations vary as to where they punctuate the sentences. This is why I may have stopped, while reading, in places where you only had commas in your translation. It seems that Paul was just too excited to stop and divide this for us. What this shows us is that these verses are one thought on God’s work in redemption. And they are full verses at that. The key idea that we should get from this lengthy sentence is that we are to praise God by meditating upon and extolling the work of the Triune Deity in accomplishing our redemption for us.

In this passage of Scripture, Paul outlines for us, "What the Father accomplishes in our redemption, what the Son accomplishes in our redemption and what the Spirit accomplishes in our redemption. There are four accomplishments of the Father in securing our redemption. We will only look at the first two of these today.

I. What the Father accomplishes in our redemption

A. He blesses us (v. 3)

What is the first accomplishment of the Father in securing our redemption (or salvation)? Paul says He blesses us. Verse 3 describes this. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." We need to note carefully in what way God has blessed us. The blessings that Paul mentions are spiritual blessings. God does not promise material/physical blessings to the believer. God promises that He will meet our physical needs but has not promised us luxury nor comfort. Jesus said to those who wished to follow Him, "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." There are no guarantees of material blessings if you follow Christ. Somehow American Christianity has promised the believer heaven and everything else you could desire. But this is not biblical Christianity. Real Christianity has its hope set on a city made without hands, whose architect and builder is God. Real Christianity promises persecution not plenty. Now if God blesses you with plenty then you as a steward have a greater responsibility not to squander it but to use it for the advancement of the kingdom of God. As Paul notes in 1 Timothy 6:8, "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." How can it be among Christians in America that we are not content with food and clothing? Is it because we are not looking for our contentment in God? Are we seeking contentment in every new thing instead? Do we have to have all the newest contrivances available? Solomon said that this kind of life is merely vanity and the chasing after the wind. Being content with God alone is a learning process that we must pursue. The apostle Paul said, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am." And in verse 1 Timothy 6:17 he says, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." In other words, if God has blessed you materially, don’t forget the source of that blessing. Don’t cease to be thankful for all you have and don’t forget to use that with which God has blessed you to advance His kingdom.

But in Ephesians, Paul is speaking about spiritual blessings. These blessings come from the Spirit of God. They do not pertain to the physical realm. We have been blessed by the Spirit of God in the heavenly places in Christ. What is Paul referring to in this? The blessing that God has given to us is the blessing of heaven through His work of redemption that He has provided.

Now Paul is speaking in a way that some would call "realized eschatology." This simply means that he is speaking of future events (eschatology) in the past tense as if they had already occurred (or been realized). He is saying that God has blessed us with the spiritual blessing of heaven before it has taken place in actuality. It is so sure in the mind of God that it has already happened. Chapter 2 verse 6 says the very same thing much more clearly. "[God] raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." For the believer, God has already secured his place in heaven by this act of spiritual blessing. We will see the significance of the Holy Spirit’s work more clearly at the end of the passage but suffice it for now that it is the Holy Spirit who is the one accomplishing this blessing on behalf of the Father.

B. He chooses us (vv. 4-5)

The second accomplishment of the Father in securing our redemption is that He chooses us. This is found in verses four and five. Here Paul says, "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will." In these two verses we find three rich truths about this choice of God.

1. Its time

The first rich truth that we discover here is its time. Paul mentions when this decree by God took place as "before the foundation of the world." Before anything had been created, God chose us in Christ. Why does Paul give praise unto God for this? It is simply because the ground (basis) of our redemption is not found in the shaky foundation of human whim (impulse) but in the deep recesses of God’s excellent wisdom. This redemption made possible was not forced upon God because He had failed to prepare for Adam’s fall into sin and needed to produce some last minute plan to cover the details. No, God’s plan preceded time itself. Before the foundation of the created order God had in mind what He would do.

God’s plan wasn’t based on the created order but before the created order. What is amazing about this is that because this decree was made before the foundation of the world in the wisdom of God we do not have worry about His decree changing. We don’t have to worry that some time in the future we will be out of God’s favor. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Nothing will alter this wonderful work of God in our lives.

This should cause us to give praise unto God for all His excellent wisdom and power in carrying out what He has determined from long ago. Isaiah, in chapter 25 of his prophecy comes to this same conclusion of praise for God’s great plan. There he says, "O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness." So we see the time of God’s choice of us.

2. Its purpose

The second rich truth that we discover here is its purpose. For what cause did God choose to redeem individuals. There is a two-fold purpose in God’s choice. The passage mentions two details that God wanted to accomplish in His redemptive choice.

a. to make us holy and blameless

The first purpose in God’s choice of us is found in verse 4. It is to make us holy and blameless. Here Paul says, "That we would be holy and blameless before Him." Coming to God through faith in Christ makes us holy and blameless. Since Christ has taken upon Himself all our sin, "having nailed it to the cross" as Colossians 2 relates, we have been made holy and blameless. And God’s choice of us in Christ brings us into this righteous position before Him whereby we might stand in His presence holy and without blame.

This is a remarkable truth that God would cleanse our hearts by simple faith in Him because of His choice of us. God has not called us to work for our redemption. There are no good deeds that we could do to purify our lives. We cannot work our way into right standing with God. It is too costly. A right standing with God requires perfection. And none of us could accomplish such a task. We are fooling ourselves if we think that God will accept a half-rate attempt at covering our sins. And I say, "half-rate" not "half-hearted" because there are many who seriously purpose to seek to make themselves righteous. Paul speaks about these in Romans 10. There he says, "For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God." There are people who are trying to attain their own righteousness before God but will never do so because God is giving away righteousness by faith in Christ.

Nor has God given us any ritual by which our sin may be purged. He has granted it to us in Christ alone. And you who have been chosen in Christ have been made perfectly righteous before the Father. This is why Paul sets up the basis of our righteous and standing before God in the first three chapters of Ephesians. This is so that in chapters four through six, he may continue to refer to what he has already written; namely that we may live in a manner consistent with what God has already done for us in Christ. In other words, if God has made us holy and righteous in His eyes by the work of Christ then by all means we can live a life that is holy and righteous. So let us make sure that this foundational material of God’s work in our lives does not blow past us as unimportant. The first three chapters of this letter to the Ephesians have to be the basis of everything we think, do and say.

I declare this most seriously: we cannot live righteously if we don’t understand that God’s purpose for us to live holy lives can be accomplished because we have already been made holy in His sight. We are not trying to become something we are not. We are seeking to live out something that already is true. God has made us holy and righteous in His sight through Jesus. Since this is so let us live up to that reality. Every time I get a glimpse of this truth it causes me to cling tighter to God’s grace through faith to live righteously. What I mean is when I realize that there is a holy and blameless "me" standing before the throne of God as evidence of what God has done, I want to live that out. I don’t think so much of my sin as I do His righteousness upon me. I rejoice in my righteousness before God not because I am righteous in myself but because God has freely made me so. Grabbing hold of this positional truth (that all our righteousness is found in Christ) is the key to living in a manner that shows the doctrine of holiness.

b. to make us His children

The second purpose in God’s choice of us is found in verse 5. It is to make us His children. Paul describes it in these words. "In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself." This choice of God is for the purpose of making us His children. Through His wonderful plan He has brought us into His family.

In Roman times adoption was usually accomplished toward someone who was not an infant and frequently a slave. All the rights of sonship were conferred upon this individual including the right of inheritance. This what God has done in His choice of us. He wanted to make us His children and so by this legal decree He bestowed upon us the privilege to call Him our Father. This is what Paul says in Rom. 8:15, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’" Not everyone can call God, "Father," only those who have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

There is another privilege of adoption and that is inheritance. We have become heirs with Christ of the glorification of our bodies. We will receive a resurrected body not unlike that of Jesus Christ when we rose from the dead. Romans 8:16-17 describe this. "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." If you have been made an heir with Christ then you are entitled to God’s heavenly estate and the release of your body from this corruption that plagues us now.

3. Its reason

The third rich truth we discover here is its reason. Why did God choose the individuals whom He chose? In verses 5 & 6, Paul mentions two reasons why.

a. for the good pleasure of His will

The first reason why God chose the individuals He did is seen at the end of verse 5. There, Paul says, "It is according to the kind intention of His will." We can say that it was for "the good pleasure of His will." This choice of His was based on His good pleasure. In all God’s wisdom what He chose was what pleased Him most. It might help to see this word, "Good pleasure" in another context. Jesus uses the word in Matthew 11. In verses 25-26, Jesus is praising His Father for not allowing the wise to see the prediction of His coming. These verses read, "At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight.’" So we see that God worked in such a way that He brought low the proud by their own conceit. Their self-ordained wisdom and intelligence came to nothing because of God's good pleasure.

God did not choose us for our superior moral character. God did not choose us because of our exceptional wisdom and intelligence. God’s choice of us was for the simple good pleasure of His will. God in His ultimate wisdom knew what would bring Him the greatest pleasure. And this was it. Look at the declaration of His choice to the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 7. "The Lord your God has chosen you for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept His oath which He swore to your forefathers." There wasn’t anything special about Israel that caused God to choose this nation as His special inheritance. It was simply because the Lord was pleased to set His love upon them.

I can’t say I understand it, but in a sense I am glad that God’s choice of me was not based on some superior moral quality of mine, because I didn’t have it. I am glad that it wasn’t based on my pedigree, but I don’t have one. Canucks are not known as a superbly strong and noble breed. God chose me because of the good pleasure of His will. He determined that by faith in Christ I should be granted these remarkable privileges of righteousness and sonship. It is good that this choice is not based on our effort or moral character or intelligence because we would all be condemned.

b. for the praise of his glorious grace

The second reason why God chose whom He did is found in verse 6. It says, "to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." This choice was for the praise of His glorious grace.

Doesn’t this redound to the glory and praise of His great grace? This is an act of immeasurable grace. God pursued a band of rebels that had offended and hurt Him and upon finding them He offers them full and free forgiveness. We were running from God with all our might and He comes to us and reconciles us to Himself. What an amazing God! Is it any wonder that all the apostles, in thinking about Him and His work among us continue to burst out, in the middle of their letters, in spontaneous praise to God? I can only say with Paul at the end of His discourse in Romans 11, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever."

Before I close this message and make application, let me say to you who may not have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you have never called out to God to wash away your sins through Christ’s death on the cross then I say to you that Jesus Christ died to save sinners and you can have your sins washed away if you call out to Him in the humility of acknowledging that you cannot save yourself or make yourself righteous in His sight. Throw yourself upon His mercy to make you righteous and He will do it. Don’t leave this place without coming to Christ. When the Philippian jailer who had imprisoned the Apostle Paul was pierced in his heart about his sin, he called out, "What must I do to be saved?" And Paul told him to believe (that is to put his trust in the death and resurrection of Christ to forgive his sin) and God would save him. Will you be one of those today who believe and are saved?

How then can we, who know the Savior, benefit from this Scripture today? As we meditate upon these wonderful words we can gain a greater appreciation for our God who would so lavishly set His love upon us. Do you deserve what He has done for you? Of course not! We can rejoice in the fact that God would want to reconcile us to Himself for all eternity though we were nothing but wicked rebels against His cause. As we understand the magnitude of God’s greatness in His plan of salvation we can choose to revel in His choice of us who have put our trust in Him.