Destination Greatness
Purpose: Confidently connecting people to God
Mission: Grow confident passionate disciples who’ll make other disciples
Vision: A church where no one is left to struggle alone
Ephesians Series Theme: GOD’S FAMILY- DESTINED FOR GREATNESS
Text: Ephesians 1:1-14
By Pastor Andrew Chan
Topic: How God changed our destiny due to His grace and peace towards us and are now destined for greatness
Big Idea: The lavish giving of God promised us greatness
Today we will start on a new series of messages on the letter to the Ephesians. We know the author as… in.v.1 says
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
(Scholarly works on Ephesians - some debate whether it is a genuine Pauline letter. One reason is due to lack of personal references which is a characteristic of Paul’s letters. He spent 3 years there and no personal references to people he knew there? Also among the earlier Greek manuscripts the phrase “in Ephesus” was left out, leading some to believe it was not intended for Ephesus but perhaps churches around the general area, i.e. circular letter meant to be taken around the churches. However, there remains no convincing evidence to doubt this is an authentic work of Paul. )
And this is one exciting letter. One commentator, Klyne Snodgrass, says this “ ‘pound for pound’ Ephesians may well be the most influential document ever written”. He also noted how others have called it “the crown and climax of Pauline theology” and “one of the divinest compositions of man.” This message series perhaps should come with a warning, do not proceed if you are scared of changing your life. Read it worshipfully and reverently, receive its message and your life can have a whole new direction.
Personally, I have been drawn to worship as a result of this book. It is a wonderful walk with God into the beauty of His creative design in order for love and relationships to thrive. This book is about the church, about us, as a corporate body united in power and purposes of God. It also about individuals, and the choices individuals make to flow with God’s Spirit in a unified family but diverse God-inspired God initiated family. It shows how great His love is for a hopeless people, lost without God. It shows us how He is weaving out of our broken lives and history to create one people, a new people, the church of Jesus Christ!
Let’s dive into this book…
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Two words, “grace and peace” magnificent words, powerful words, inspired words. Come close Sept.11 anniversary, we long for a world that would believe in this two words, don’t we? Instead of grace and peace, our world is locked into revenge and war. Just look at someone the wrong way, boom, blood and guts all over the floor.
The church of Christ has got to get back to these two words. These words of greetings from Paul, I submit to you, are not a nice way to say hello in an ancient manuscript. In ancient Greek letter writing, most start with this standard greeting, “chairein” but Paul used charis “grace.” It was a clever play on words. Kinda like chinese fascination on number eight, which is not literal eight but means to prosper. These words, grace and peace, have clear and present application. This is a hello from God. For this is our God’s longing and wish, this is our God’s desire, this is our God’s words embedded into scripture from a time more than couple of thousand years before the apostle Paul was even born.
Perhaps you have heard this benediction, in churches u gone to. Know where it comes from? Look back with me into your bibles, into the time of Moses, into Numbers 6. 22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, ’This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 " ’ "The LORD bless you
and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." ’
27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."
Note: This is not Aaron’s wish “I hope God will bless.” This is not Moses’ wish “if pray hard enuff, god will bless”. This is not a hallmark greeting card, hope you get better, feel better. This is what Aaron was instructed by Moses to say as the express desire of God. Make his face shine… connotes divine smile. Turn his face, connotation of relationship, looking full into a face to face relationship. Perhaps we of oriental descent, may understand it more, gain the face of God, we don’t lose face with him, approval, acceptance, warmth, intimacy. My kid sister just had a baby… her smile, even though sleepness nite, proud, eventhough, father too turn face toward that child even though threw up, messed up their lives schedules, dirty diaper… wipe with a smile, on the stinky little guy.
Fast forward to time of Paul, he got it right… consistent in OT and in NT. God blesses us. Grasp this - God blesses you, not only that but he smiles on you like a doting father and turn his face peace.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Why? THE TWO WORDS: Grace and peace. It was always God’s intention to BLESS us His people. It was always to keep us, provide for us, to love us, give us security, to make sure we are His forever. No wonder Paul worships “praise be to the God and father…”
This is where Paul get animated. He gets really pumped up as he launches into doxology, into praise into the wonder of God. His writing style in the Greek tells us v.3-14 is one long sentence, he just couldn’t stop telling, as if he got lost in worship and awe of all God has done and is doing and will do.
BLESSING OF REDEMPTION
4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
BLESSING OF PARTICIPATION (IN THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORIOUS GRACE)
11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
BLESSING OF WORD OF TRUTH
13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
BLESSING OF INHERITANCE
14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
GOD’S FAMILY- DESTINED FOR GREATNESS – TWO GREAT WORDS!
Represents a vision for what the church looks like. All he sees is this - the church chosen in love by God - destined for greatness in the richness of the peace and grace of God. Grace and peace permeates throughout the letter, there is grace and peace for all who hear God’s word and have responded in faith, extending grace and peace to one another in unity of the spirit of the one God, one Lord, one faith one baptism, in family relationships, in prayer support. Paul paints for us a picture of a church bathed in grace and peace, bathed in the Spirit, destined for greatness because of two wonderful words inspired of God “grace and peace”!
• Remember this - EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in Christ: (v.2,3)
o NO ACCIDENT: Hand-picked, drafted, God’s workmanship, chosen before the creation of the world (v.4, 11)
o ADOPTION: Destined to be adopted with God’s pleasure and will (v.5-6)
o COST: Redemption by blood of Christ –demonstrating riches of God’s grace (v.7,8). Illustrate Randy and Lisa trouble go thru to adopt a child in China
o Pleasure and purpose of God to do this - Mystery of God fulfilled through Christ.
• Accept this BLESSING , let it become the most important thing in your life. Redefine your life as God’s specially chosen beloved.
• To the praise of God’ glory : : Paul was swept away in worship by the mystery of God’s will “to the praise of his glory” (v.3, 6,12,14), finding our security is as one who is lavishly loved of God, to the praise of His glory, destined for glory, in the greatness of God’s lavish love – ARE YOU SWEPT AWAY BY THIS HOLY REVELATION?
• Rev.2:17 speaks of a new name given to us, new ID grounded in God’s love, it is not just a lovely thought, it is who we are!
• REDEFINE THE CHURCH AS ONE IS BELOVED OF GOD, REDEFINE EACH PERSON AS RADICALLY LOVED –pass on the grace and peace from God!
Connect with God now by…
• Placing our Hope in Christ alone (v.12)
• Hearing the word, included in Christ (v.13)
• Receiving the promised holy spirit (v.13)
• Recognizing the mark of God (Signature of God) His seal of approval and deposit of guarantee (v.14)
• FAITH - This is the magnet of our conversion experience – grace and peace – our FAITH IN the grace and peace thru Jesus Christ.
• POWER - This is the power of the gospel of the gospel, to the praise of His glory, simple trust in the beauty of grace and peace, not an accident, adopted, at the cost of blood of the Christ, in the pleasure and purpose of God, sealed by the Spirit!
• The church is now charged with helping others to connect with a God who gives grace and peace.
• The church is to be a place where TWO WONDERFUL WORDS grace and peace is experienced, LIVED OUT LOUD FOR THE WORLD TO KNOW.
• God has granted us an impeded access into His Kingdom – Illustrate: how the son of president can walk around the white house right thru’ tight security, and ignore protocol - straight to father’s lap.
This is confidence we have to connect people with God. This is story where God is centre stage, rearranging our damaged lives, rebooting the whole sin-infested universe, remaking in the grace and peace announced clearly in name of the Christ who gave his life to give us every spiritual blessing. The climax of all things for all time is when everything comes together in Christ – this is the big picture that will display God’s determination to redeem us, adoption and intention!
What wonderful Blessings; in this God initiated plan. This is our confidence in our devotional Life; our ground for experiencing God. The Father’s faithfulness changes us to be worshippers lost in His love. Our human frailties and weakness cannot disconnect us from God. We are connected by something far more powerful and loving to gain fellowship, with God thru Jesus Christ. We have all the fullness as it was always His plan and action to bless with every spiritual blessing. Heaven’s realities is not remote by guaranteed now in Christ, signed, sealed and delivered in Jesus’ name. This is how we will persevere as saints, not by our merits, by the grace and peace of God. That is why we persevere now in spiritual disciplines; this is why we pray now, confidence to approach God, He is not remote. This is how we are formed spiritually – it is all God, all God’s doing!
This is why I believe we are destined for greatness in our Lord Jesus.
From this secure base won bought thru faith in Christ we move into greatness our destiny we move as an army of the gospel of Jesus to serve and teach and to make disciples draw them into spiritual blessings we have all received in grace and peace of the Lord our god.
