God's Great Purposes for His People
Ephesians 1:7-14
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The Book of Ephesians
(Prepared March 12, 2024)
BACKGROUND:
*We are studying the Apostle Paul's letter to the Church in Ephesus. Author John Phillips explained that "Ephesus was a large and important city in Paul’s day, with a population around 350,000 people. It was on the western coast of modern day Turkey, midway between two continents. There east met west. Crowds of government officials, Roman soldiers, and Jewish businessmen rubbed shoulders with Eastern pilgrims flocking into Ephesus to worship at the pagan temple of Diana. That temple was famous as one of the wonders of the ancient world, but it was also a shrine to a false goddess who was "worshiped" through sinful sexual ways.
*Ephesus was Paul’s headquarters during his third missionary journey. He stayed in the city for nearly three years and established a large, influential church. His fellow workers and the new Christians fanned out from Ephesus to the surrounding territory. There they planted new churches in city after city." Later, the church in Ephesus was blessed to be led by the Apostle John. (1)
*In today's Scripture we will focus on God's great purposes for His people, so please think about God's purposes in your life, as we read Ephesians 1:7-14.
MESSAGE:
*Purpose makes all the difference in the world. Andy Stanley once asked, "How many of you would be excited about spending all day filling bags with sand? No thanks, Right? -- But what if we were filling those bags to save our town from being flooded? (2)
*Purpose makes all the difference in the world. That's why God never does anything without a great purpose in mind, and God wants us to know about His purposes.
1. IN TODAY'S SCRIPTURE, GOD'S FIRST PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE.
*We see this purpose in vs. 7-9, where Paul said:
7. In Him (that is, in Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8. which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9. having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.
*In other words: God's purpose was to get good pleasure by making the mystery of the cross known to us. We may not think about this very often, but one of God's purposes is to bring about His own good pleasure.
*People seeking their own pleasure can be a huge problem, because we are sinful, selfish, and short-sighted. But God is infinitely wise and good, so He will only do good things to get His good pleasure. And one of God's greatest purposes is to provide for his good pleasure.
2. BUT ANOTHER GREAT PURPOSE IS TO UNITE THE UNIVERSE.
*We see this truth in vs. 9-10, where Paul tells us that God "made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth in Him."
*Revelation 20 shows us that by the time this happens, the devil, the fallen angels, and all lost people have been judged by God and cast into the lake of fire. Then in Revelation 21:1 John said, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." At that time, God is going to bring about perfect unity and peace in the whole universe. And it all comes together in Christ. We will all be gathered together "in Christ". John Phillips explained that "God has no plan, no program, no purpose, that does not ultimately rest in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ." Glory to God! (3)
*But remember Christians that we are already literally in Christ. When we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, one of the miraculous things that happened was that His Holy Spirit came to live in our spiritual hearts. But at the very same time, God's Holy Spirit put us into the spiritual Body of Christ. Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 12:13 when he said, "by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free. . ." This means we have been totally submerged into the spiritual body of Jesus Christ.
*This is an extremely important truth about Christianity. We know this because phrases like "in Christ" or "in the Lord" are used almost 100 times in the New Testament, including ten times in this short letter to the Ephesians. For example vs. 1 says, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful IN CHRIST JESUS." Verse 3 says, "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." And vs. 4 says, "Just as He chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Christians: We are together as one in Christ. We are together as one in the spiritual Body of Jesus Christ.
*The best thing I can compare it to is when we were babies in our mothers' wombs. There are some parallels to us being in Christ. In our mother's wombs, we couldn't begin to understand what was going on. But we were surrounded by love. We were protected, provided for, and connected in a way that we could not comprehend.
*And right now Christians, we are literally in the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. But there is much more to come, and vs. 10 tells us that one day God the Father will "gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth." So one of God's great purposes is to unite the universe.
3. BUT ANOTHER IS TO GIVE US AN EVERLASTING INHERITANCE IN GOD'S FAMILY.
*This is God's purpose for His people in vs. 11, where His Word tells us that in Jesus "we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." Christians: We have an everlasting inheritance in the Family of God!
[1] AND OUR INHERITANCE IS GREATER THAN WE CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
*John Phillips explained that "It’s great to have an inheritance, to be remembered in someone’s will. Paul said that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance. In 1 Peter 1:4, that Apostle wrote that our inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled, that it will not fade away, and that it is reserved in Heaven for us. And in 1 Corinthians 2:9 Paul said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'' From all eternity, God has had our well-being in mind. His eternal purpose was to bring into existence human beings upon whom He could bestow all the inexhaustible riches of His grace. What God has in store for us is beyond anything we can imagine." (4)
[1] AND IT CAME AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE COST.
*Verse 7 points us to this truth, because it says in Jesus "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." That word "redemption" is talking about paying a ransom to set us free, and God paid the highest price to set us free from sin and death.
*Stop and think about what Jesus really did for us on the cross. Over the years I have counseled many couples before they got married. One of my favorite memories comes from a meeting with an older couple. We were just talking about odds and ends, when out of the blue I asked him, "Do you love her?" Without missing a beat, he answered, "I love her so much that I would take a bullet for her." -- And I know that's an unusual way to put it, but what a great expression of love!
*If someone shot at you, and I jumped in the way, and took a bullet for you, that would be a wonderful thing. But Jesus Christ did so much more for us! He didn't just take our physical death. We faced everlasting torment and destruction in hell! It was coming straight for us, and there was nothing we could do to get out of the way.
*But Jesus stepped in front. He took all of the suffering that belonged to us, so that we wouldn't have to. Jesus took our death, so that we could have God's gift of eternal life, by placing our faith in Him. That's why Paul said these wonderful words to believers in Romans 5:6-10.
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*1 Peter 1:18-19 also tells Christians that we "were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
*God paid the highest price to set us free from sin and death. The Father sent His precious Son to die on the cross for our sins. And He did that so that we could have an eternal inheritance in the Lord. It's one of God's greatest purposes.
4. BUT ANOTHER IS FOR US TO HELP SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
*We can see this truth starting in vs. 11 to the first part of vs. 13. Here Paul said:
11. in whom (that is, in Christ) also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12. that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel (or good news) of your salvation. . .
*God's great purpose in these verses is that more people would be saved by trusting in the gospel about our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. And notice in vs. 12 that it's all to the praise of God's glory!
*You probably know that the Apostle Paul was a Jew, and at least 8 thousand Jews had already been saved when Paul trusted in the Lord, but he was still among the first. And Paul was chosen by God to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. We find this truth in Scriptures like Acts 26:17-18 where Paul testified that Jesus had told him, "I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 'to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'" Another example is Romans 11:13 where Paul said, "I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles."
*This wonderful first generation of Christians spread the gospel as far as they possibly could, and since then, millions more have been reached around the world. But now it is our responsibility reach more people with the good news about Jesus Christ. This is the Lord's command for Christians in Matthew 28:19-20, where our risen Savior said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
*Also think of Paul's commitment in Romans 1:14-16, where he wrote:
14. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
*And think of the church in 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8. There Paul told those faithful Christians:
7. . . you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.
8. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
*That's the kind of Christians Jesus wants us to be! God wants every Christian to do everything we can to help spread the good news about our Savior Jesus Christ.
*We should be like the shepherds in the Christmas story. Luke 2:15-18 says:
15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
*I am so glad the angel appeared to these unnamed, ordinary shepherds. They remind us that Jesus Christ came for ordinary people like us. But the shepherds also remind us that ordinary people can go and tell other people about Jesus. Just like the shepherds, we can spread the good news everywhere we go.
*If we have believed in Jesus, if we have received God's greatest gift, then we surely have good news to share, and God wants us to share it! God wants us to faithfully spread His good news every way we can. And there are many ways to do it:
-Pray for lost people.
-Give to support missionaries.
-Tell people how you got saved.
-Tell them other great things God has done in your life.
-Explain the good news to someone else.
-Invite people to church.
*There are many ways to help spread the good news about Jesus Christ. And it's urgent. God knows that time is short, and people are lost. He wants us to care for them the way He cares for them. We need a sense of urgency.
*Taylor Smith was Chaplain-General for the British Army during World War I. And he had a simple test for all ministers who volunteered to serve as chaplains during the war. Holding his watch in his hand, Taylor Smith would say to each volunteer, "I am a dying soldier. I have only one minute to live. What must I do to be saved?"
*The volunteers were rejected unless they could say something like Paul said to Philippian jailer in Acts 16, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." Taylor knew that the most important thing people need to hear before they die is the good news about Jesus Christ. (5)
*People need to hear, so we need to do everything we can to help spread the good news about our Savior. It's one of God's greatest purposes for His people.
5. BUT ANOTHER GREAT PURPOSE IS TO SEAL BELIEVERS WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT.
*Paul talks about it in vs. 13-14 where he said:
13. In Him (that is, in Jesus) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
*The Holy Spirit is God’s royal seal on our lives. -- And that means a lot. But what kind of seal was Paul talking about? It was an official mark of identification placed on a letter, contract, or document. When royal business was conducted, the document was sealed with hot wax and stamped with the king’s ring.
*Dean Meadows explained 3 things guaranteed by a king’s seal:
[1] Ownership: Whatever was sealed belonged to the king.
[2] Security: Whatever was sealed was protected by the king's power.
[3] Certainty: No One, not even the king himself could reverse such a decree. An example is King Darius who was tricked and forced to throw Daniel to the lions because of his unchangeable decree in Daniel 6:6-16.
*These same three realities hold true when we are sealed by God’s Holy Spirit:
[1] Ownership: We are God's property. We see this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where Paul asked, "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
[2] Security: In John 10: 27-29 Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
[3] Certainty: In John 6:37-39 Jesus said, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."
*Christians: We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, and what a difference that makes! Bob Hostetler explained that this supernatural seal identifies us as genuine members of God's family. It marks us as prized possessions of God, and it guarantees our inheritance in God's eternal kingdom. (6)
CONCLUSION:
*God has great purposes for His people, and He can do great things through us when we start living for His purposes.
*My wife's mother always loved Charles Stanley's preaching, and years ago, she sent me a tape about "The God Who Cares." In that sermon, Dr. Stanley gave a great example of how God can use us in unexpected ways. Dr. Stanley had flown home the night before, and he sat down next to a man on the plane.
*This man was a Christian, and he was going through a terrible time in his life. He was under a tremendous burden. Just the week before he was talking to his wife about the problem. He told her, "If I could just sit down and talk with Dr. Stanley, I believe it would help!" Then he told Dr. Stanley, "I almost fainted when you got on the plane!" Well, Dr. Stanley was able to help him find God's comfort.
*And notice what happened: Dr. Stanley helped the man. But the man helped Stanley too by giving him a great testimony about how God can work. Then they both blessed Mary's mom, and all the other people who heard about it. (7)
*Today, years later, they are even blessing us! There is no telling how God can use us, when we start living for His purposes. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, ask the Lord to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from EXPLORING EPHESIANS & PHILIPPIANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Exploring Ephesians - Introduction" - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Twenty Essential Building Blocks of Vision - Part 1" by David Derry - Nehemiah 1:1-4 - (Note: This sermon series is based on the book "Visioneering" by Andy Stanley. Parts of this sermon are taken directly from the material contained in his book.)
(3) EXPLORING EPHESIANS & PHILIPPIANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "For the Christ" - Ephesians 1:10 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(4) EXPLORING EPHESIANS & PHILIPPIANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The Work of the Son" - Ephesians 1:7-12 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(5) Sources:
-ONE THOUSAND EVANGELISTIC ILLUSTRATIONS by Aquilla Webb - #539 "Instant in Season" p. 190
-Google Books preview - GOD AND THE BRITISH SOLDIER by Michael Francis Snape, p. 233
(6) Adapted from these sources:
-SermonCentral sermon "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours" by Dean Meadows - Ephesians 1:7-14 - 03/15/2004
-SermonCentral sermon "Enjoying Your Spiritual Possessions in Christ" by Bob Hostetler - Ephesians 1:1-14
-SermonCentral sermon "Riches Revealed in the Trinity" by Jeffery Richards - Ephesians 1:4-14
(7) Taped sermon "The God Who Cares" by Dr. Charles Stanley
