Ephesians 1:7-12
THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY
August 14, 2022
Intro: In these first verses Paul magnifies the glory of God. Beginning in verse 3 all the way through verse 14, Paul is engaged in worship as he repeats, “to the praise of His Glory!” He begins to praise God for everything He has done to save us and bless us in Jesus. Paul moves from God’s work in the past to His work in the present. So, Paul moves from praising God for His sovereign work in eternity past as He elected, predestinated and formed the body of Christ to how He brings that body together in time. In these verses, Paul continues to reveal all the riches of God’s grace that are ours in Jesus Christ. I want you to see today why God is worthy to be praised for His saving grace as we lift the idea that, The Praise of His Glory.
I want you to see that God Is To Be Praised…
1 - For His Prudence (that’s His Insight); v.7 (according to the riches of His grace)
2 - For His Providence (that’s His Foresight); v.9 (according to His good pleasure)
3 - For His Purpose (that’s His Oversight); v.11 (according to the counsel of His will)
I. v. 7 GOD IS TO BE PRAISED FOR HIS PRUDENCE (because we have redemption through His blood) Redemption is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word translated Redemption means “to effect the release of a slave by paying the redemption price”. Those who are saved have been purchased from their slavery by the blood of Jesus. Every person born into this world since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden is a slave. No one is free. No one is free from sin or from its consequences. Every person born since Cain came into the world has been born with a sinful nature Romans 3:23. We are sinners by nature, and we are sinners by choice. According to Jesus because we are sinners, we are also slaves to our sin, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin,” John 8:34. Sin is a cruel master. It enslaves its victims and demands a high price for their release. It demands death as its price. But in the Prudence of God, He has always had a plan for redemption. Jesus paid the price when He went to the cross to liberate us from our sins. Jesus gave Himself, the innocent for the guilty, that the guilty might go free. Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” God’s wisdom and prudence teaches us that the price for your redemption was His precious blood. He Who had no sin has died for those who only had sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21. When sinners come to Him for salvation, there is nothing left to pay. Jesus paid it all and lost sinners receive new life, forgiveness of sins, and adoption into God’s family, all without cost. God has given us all we have in Jesus “according to the riches of His grace”. That means that we cannot sin beyond His grace. Grace is, “God’s riches at Christ’s expense;” It is “the unmerited favor of God.” That is why grace is so amazing! We have been given everything that God has to offer, and we deserved nothing. We have been brought out of death into life and He has made His grace abound toward us, giving us His “wisdom and prudence.”
II. v. 9 GOD IS TO BE PRAISED FOR HIS PROVIDENCE (because we know the mystery of His will) Verse 9 tells us that God’s redemptive plan flows from “the mystery of His will”; With the wisdom and prudence that God has given us , He has “made known unto us the mystery of His will.” And according to Colossians 1:27, the mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” And He did this for us “according to His good pleasure.” God devised and carried out all of this because He “purposed” it “in Himself”. In other words, God’s Providence exists to the praise of His glory. Every soul that is saved fulfills God’s plan to redeem sinners and it beings Him glory. Every soul that is saved is saved because of God’s providence; in order to accomplish His plan, in order to advance His Own glory, He has revealed His divine will unto us. In verse 10 Paul reminds us that history is not meaningless or without His divine providence. God has done everything that He has done to bring it all together in the foresight of the saving work of His Son, Jesus. God has predetermined that He is the head of all things, Colossians 1:16 “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Verse 10 speaks of “the dispensation of the fullness of times”. This reminds us that God is in control of this world. He has always had the foresight in His divine providence to work out a perfect plan that He devised before this world was ever formed. Everything that takes place is part of that plan. In the end, God will reveal Jesus Christ to be the head of all things to all people. And “every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord,” to the praise of His Glory! The world may ignore Him today. The world may act like He doesn’t matter. The world refuses to bow to Him, to worship Him, to obey Him, or to love Him. This world appears to be spinning out of control, but that is merely how things appear. Our God is in control and when the time is right, He will demonstrate His power through His Son the Lord Jesus.
III. v.11 GOD IS TO BE PRAISED FOR HIS PURPOSE (because we have obtained an inheritance) ILLS: I was watching a movie called “The Longest Ride,” and I am pretty sure it was inspired by an old illustration about a wealthy man and his son who loved to collect rare works of art, from Picasso to Rembrandt. When the war broke out, the son enlisted. He was very courageous but died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. Months later, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood and said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life while he was carrying me to safety. He handed the father a painting saying "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a good artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. The father eyes welled up with tears and He thanked the young man for the gift. The father hung the portrait over his mantle for many years and any time visitors came to his home to see his art collection he would first show them the portrait of his son. When he died there was a great auction of his paintings. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence at first then voices shouted, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. "But still the auctioneer continued, "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" Silence filled the room. "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10! The auctioneer pounded the gavel and then laid it down, "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit all the paintings. The man who took the son gets it all!" God gave his Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. Verse 11 says that according to God’s divine Purpose, He has given us an inheritance, “after the counsel of His Own Will.” Why would He do such a thing? Because We Who First Trusted in Christ should be to “the praise of His glory.” In other words, God saved us to reveal His glory through us to a lost world. When the world sees the saint of God, they see a living, breathing testament to God’s saving grace. Peter says, God “according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,”
1 Peter 1:3 - God has always had a purpose for you! – to the praise of His glory!
