By Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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Broadcast Notes
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LINK to CFRA broadcast of Sunday, March 12th, 2017
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Our Father’s Love Letter
1. The Source of our truest Love—
The Heavenly Father (Ephe. 1:4-6)
A. He [GOD THE FATHER] has chosen us.(v. 4).
Ephe. 1:4 “just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.”
HE CHOSE US!
* Salvation begins with God, and not with humanity. John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit”.
* The person outside of Christ, left to his or her own ways, does not seek God. Romans 3:10-11 “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”
HE CHOSE US “IN CHRIST”…
* Paul is reflecting and developing Old Testamnet lines of thought, rather than inventing a new theology of election. Just as Israel is chosen in Jacob (Deut. 7:6-11; Isa. 41:8-10) so the Church is chosen in Christ. Israel is called “elect” because Jacob was the Chosen One. Israel exists in Jacob, is chosen in Jacob, is predestined in Jacob. The nation—not the individuals—is elect because its founder was God’s chosen man. Just so, but in a way which is final, the Church, the New Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) is chosen in Christ.
HE CHOSE US IN CHRIST *BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD*
*THE MESSAGE: Ephe. 1:5 “Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.”
* Notice he did not choose us in ourselves—based upon our own merits.
* He chose us “in Christ”—based on Christ’s accomplishment on the cross.
* So our salvation is wholly of grace and not on the basis of anything we ourselves have done.
JOHN PIPER: “Before the creation of the universe God thought of me. He fixed his gaze on me and chose me for himself. He did not choose me because I was already in Christ of my own doing, but that I might be in Christ. He did not choose me because he saw me as a believer, but so that I might become a believer. He did not choose me because I chose him, but so that I might choose him. He did not choose me because I was holy or good but so that I might become holy and good. Everything I am and all I hope to be is rooted in God's freely choosing me. My faith, my hope, my work are not the ground of electing grace but only its effect. And so there is no ground for boasting except in God.”
HE CHOSE US FOR A PURPOSE!
* He chose us for a purpose: to be holy and without blame.
* This verse foreshadows next week’s topic—namely, our purpose in Christ.
* “Blameless” (amomos) is the Old Testament word for an “unblemished” sacrifice.
* Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
B. He has adopted us (v. 5).
Ephe. 1:5 “He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
* JOHN PIPER: “Your destiny to be God's children”!
* Paul’s two statements are parallel, that “he destined us…to be his sons” (verse 5) and “he chose us…that we should be holy. (verse 4)”
* Sonship brings both a plus and a minus, an immense gain and a necessary loss—Because it entails both privileges and responsibilities.
* We gain access to him as our Father through redemption or forgiveness—and the privileges are listed in verses 7-8.
* But we lose our blemishes, beginning at once by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, until we are finally made perfect in heaven—Because the heavenly Father does not spoil his children. On the contrary, Hebrews 12:10 explains that “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness”.
* SO WHAT BLEMISH OR SIN DO YOU NEED TO ABANDON?
* J. E. Runions: “The divine choice is intolerable apart from a divine enabling.”
* Israel was chosen to similar ends—and failed. The Church cannot fail in achieving its destiny, for the powerful drive of the Spirit will direct it always to its appointed end.
Rev. 19:7-8 “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
C. He has lavished His grace upon us (v. 6).
Ephe. 1:6 “to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
* THE MESSAGE: “He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.”
* Ephe. 1:7-8 ALSO SPEAKS OF GRACE “according to the riches of his grace (8) that he lavished on us.”
* Wiersbe: “When Jesus Christ wrote his last will and testament for His church, He made it possible for us to share His spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus Christ paid it all. His death on the cross and His resurrection make possible our salvation. He wrote us into His will, then He died so the will would be in force. Then He arose again that He might become the heavenly Advocate (lawyer) to make sure the terms of the will were correctly followed!”
* JOHN PIPER EXPLAINS WELL GOD’S GRACE: “We were not cute little orphans that God was attracted to; we were enemies in rebellion against God. That is who God decided before the foundation of the world to adopt. Romans 5:6, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:10, “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son………………….So our adoption is not based on our being worthy or cute or attractive. It is based on the free and sovereign grace of God planned before the world and bought for us by the blood of Christ.”
2. The Supplier of Our Heavenly Father’s Love—The Son (Ephe. 1: 7-10)
* Three manifestations of the grace (mentioned in verse 6) cluster together in verses 7-10—redemption, forgiveness, and knowledge—each manifest in and made available to us by Christ.
* The one set of “blessings” or graces has the past in mind; the other, a present already sharing in the future:
A. He has redeemed us (v. 7a).
Ephe. 1:7a “In him we have redemption through his blood”
* “Redemption” means “to purchase and set free by paying a price”.
* The term, “redemption” was especially applied to the ransoming of slaves.
* There were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire, and often they were bought and sold like pieces of furniture. But a man could purchase a slave and set him free.
* REDEMPTION IS ALL ABOUT NEW STARTS
* free from the law (Gal. 5:1); free from slavery to sin (Rom. 6), free from the power of Satan and the world (Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13-14).
* Onesimus, a slave, stole from Philemon and ran away from Philimon, his master, who lived at Colossae. While in Rome, Onesimus met Paul and was converted. Tychicus, one of the pastors of the church at Colossae, which may have met in Philemon’s house, was also in Rome to discuss some problems with Paul. So Paul took advantage of the presence of these two men to send three letters to his friends: the epistle to the Ephesians, the epistle to the Colossians, and the epistle to Philemon. At the same time, he sent Onesimus back to his master.
B. He has forgiven us (v. 7b-8a).
Ephe. 1: 7b-8a “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (8) that he lavished on us.”
* The word “forgive” means “to carry away”.
* This reminds us of the ritual on the Jewish day of Atonement, when the high priest sent the scapegoat into the wilderness (Lev. 16).
* First, the priest killed one of the two goats and sprinkled its blood before God on the mercy seat.
* Then he confessed Israel’s sins over the live goat, and had the goat taken into the wilderness to be lost. Christ died to carry away our sins so they might never again be seen.
C. He has revealed God’s will to us (vv. 8b-10).
Ephe. 1:8b-10 “With all wisdom and insight (9) he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, (10) as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
* Forbes: 70 Richest Mothers (for Mother’s Day)
* Mark 8:36 “What good is it to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?”
* Join God’s family today!
* VS. 9 “the mystery of his will” is explained in Ephe. 3:6 “the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”
* VS. 10: “to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” * J. E. Runions “God’s splendid purpose for His universe is achieved in Christ (in whom Heaven and earth have come together in One Person) and is realized in the Church (where a great uniting has already begun.”
3. The Seal of our Heavenly Father’s Love—the Holy Spiritit (Ephe. 1:11-14)
A. He has given us an inheritance (vv. 11-12).
Ephe. 1:11-12 “(11) In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, (12) so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.”
* Often Christians think that their inheritance consists of dwelling in heaven.
* N. T. Wright: “The inheritance Paul has in mind…is the whole world, when it’s been renewed by a fresh act of God’s power and love. Paul has already said in verse 10 that God’s plan in the Messiah is to sum up everything in heaven and earth. God, after all, is the creator; he has no interest in leaving earth to rot and making do for all eternity with only one half of the original creation. God intends to flood the whole cosmos—heaven and earth together—with his presence and grace, and when that happens the new world that results, in which Jesus himself will be the central figure, is to be the ‘inheritance’ for which Jesus’ people are longing.”
COOL: * AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION: “in whom also we were made a heritage [or inheritance]” is also a possible translation.
* both are true and the one includes the other—
In Christ we HAVE a wonderful inheritance (1 Peter 1:1-4), and in Christ we ARE an inheritance—we are valuable to Him.
* God the Son is the Father’s love gift to us; and we are the Father’s love gift to His Son.
* In John 17, Christ frequently calls us “those whom thou hast given me”.
* IMAGINE: YOU ARE THE FATHER’S LOVE GIFT TO HIS SON!
B. He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit (v. 13).
Ephe. 1:13 “In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”
* Rick Warren: “The Gospel isn’t you imitating Jesus; it’s Jesus inhabiting you.”
* PIPER: What does it mean that believers have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (v. 13)? The word is used at least three different ways in the New Testament.
i. In Matthew 27:66, the tomb of Jesus was secured by sealing it and putting guards around it. In Revelation 20:3 God throws Satan into a pit and seals it over so he can't escape. So one meaning is locking something up, closing it in.
ii. Another is found in Romans 4:11 where Abraham's circumcision is called the sign and seal of the righteousness he had by faith. And in 1 Corinthians 9:2 Paul says that his converts are the seal of his apostleship. So a second meaning of sealing is giving a sign of authenticity.
ii. A third meaning is found in Revelation 7:3 where the seal of God is put on the forehead of God's servants to protect them from the wrath coming upon the world.
* SO God sends the Holy Spirit as:
A. a preserving seal to lock in our faith,
B. an authenticating seal to validate our sonship,
The point is that God wants us to feel secure and safe in his love and power.
C. He has given us a pledge [OR GUARANTEE OR DOWNPAYMENT] (v. 14).
Ephe. 1:14 “this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’sown people, to the praise of his glory.”
* ”guarantee” here is “arrabon”—originally a Hebrew word which seems to have come into Greek usage through Phoenician traders. It is used in modern Greek for an engagement ring. But in ancient commercial transactions, it signified a “first installment, deposit, down payment, pledge”
THE MESSAGE: 13-14It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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