The Praise Of His Glory

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.