Ephesians Series - Part 4 - To The Praise Of His Glorious Grace! Series

Review

Eph 1:4c In love,

Eph 1:5 Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Remember, the Apostle Paul is eulogizing or speaking well of God for His plan for the saints of God in Christ Jesus.

In verse four, we get a glimpse of eternity past, as we learn that God picked out for Himself a people for His own possession. To secure their salvation, God sends His Son to this earth as a baby who would grow up and die a cruel death to redeem sinful people back to Himself. And even though their practice didn’t always match their position, God nevertheless saw them as “holy and blameless” because they are chosen “in Christ”.

In verse five, Paul, by revelation of God, looks forward in eternity and shares the destiny of believers in Jesus Christ. He shares how God not only delivered us from sin, but how He predestined believers to adoption, essentially placing us into His own family, making us His legal and intimate children (sons)!

In love, God takes the repentant sinner…the son of another…to be His son, so that that son has the same position and all the advantages of a son by birth. And, He does it all according to the good pleasure or satisfaction of His own will.

New Material

Paul continues in verse six and writes, “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (NASB)

As the Apostle Paul receives this revelation from God which says that God chose sinful men, women, boys and girls before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless and how in love He determined beforehand to adopt them as His own children and bestow all the rights and privileges of a full-fledged son, Paul writes that these blessings were "to the praise of the glory of His grace".

Let’s break down this statement so that we might understand it more fully.

Praise – Praise is one of humanity's many responses to God's revelation of Himself. Praise comes from a Latin word meaning “value” or “price”, thus, “to give praise to God” is to proclaim His merit or worth.

Many terms are used to express this response from men and angels in the Bible, including "glory," "blessing," "thanksgiving," and "hallelujah," which is a transliteration of the Hebrew for "Praise the Lord."

The Hebrew title of the book of Psalms ("Praises") comes from the same root as "hallelujah" and Psalms 113-118 have been specially designated the "Hallel" ("praise") psalms.

There are many modes or manners of praise, including…

* the offering of sacrifices (Lev. 7:13), Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

* physical movement like “dancing before the Lord” (2 Sam. 6:14),

silence and meditation (Psalm 77:11-12) that breaks forth into praise (vs. 13-),

Psa 77:11 I will make mention of the deeds of Jehovah; For I will remember thy wonders of old.

Psa 77:12 I will meditate also upon all thy work, And muse on thy doings.

Psa 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: Who is a great god like unto God?

Psa 77:14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.

* testimony – “I will tell you what He has done for my soul” (Ps. 66:16),

prayer “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart” (Psalm 111:1),

* and a holy life – The Lord accepts the praise of one who has a broken spirit and a sorrowful heart about their sin. (Psalm 51:15-17).

It should be obvious from these manners of praise that it’s not limited to the four walls of the church building.

Praise is often delivered by way of music, both instrumental (Psalm 150:3-5) and, especially, vocal. Biblical songs of praise are expressed mainly in two ways:

Personal – This is more or less, spontaneous outbursts of thanksgiving for some redemptive act of God

Exodus 15 – When God delivered the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. They sang, “I will sing to the LORD. He has won a glorious victory. He has thrown horses and their riders into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song. He is my Savior. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will honor him.” (vs. 1-2)

Judges 5 – When the prophetess Deborah and Barak defeated the army of the Canaanites and Sisera its commander, they sang a song with the words, “Praise the LORD! Men in Israel vowed to fight, and people volunteered for service. Listen, you kings! Open your ears, you princes! I will sing a song to the LORD. I will make music to the LORD God of Israel.”