Important
Read first
- Don’t worry about facial expressions
- Don’t be scared to pause to look at notes
- Keep a slow pace
- Signpost between sections
- Camp on definitions
- Assume audience knows nothing
- Slow down and repeat important one liners
Intro
Opening (lead into scripture)
- It’s incredible how God pulls together different experiences in our life to teach (Give example of discussing God’s redemption with friends, and preview story about neurosurgeon)
Read scripture
- Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 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,
- 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,
- having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
- to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
- In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
- which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
- having 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.
- In Him 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,
- that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
- In Him 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,
- who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Prayer
- Thank God for His word
- Thank God for how He teaches us
- Prayer for wisdom and understanding as we dig into His word
- Pray that He will teach through me
Overview (what are we going to learn?)
How this study is organized:
- Past - How God’s promises of redemption were planned out before the very creation of the world
- Present - What is redemption, how does it work? What is God’s will?
- Future - What do we have to look forward to after being redeemed?
Context (what do we need to keep in mind?)
Key word to keep in mind is “according to”
In Paul’s writing (and run on sentences) let’s keep an eye out for this phrase “according to” as the why something is happening.
God’s Promise - Past
Signpost
What is this topic of predestination?
- Calvinism
- I don’t claim to be an expert, but I do have a stance on this topic based on my understanding of scripture.
Story about neuro surgeon and free will
- Wilder Penfield
- 1100 Awake brain surgeries (over 1 million stimulations) done to fix epilepsy by surgeon
- If we don’t have free will why blame the person instead of the items involved (pouring coffee on laptop)
Content
3. 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,
4. 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,
5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Now let’s see what scripture has to say about the topic of predestination and God’s will.
What does it mean to be predestined? (Turn with me to Romans 8)
Romans 8 explains this concept of predestination well and gives us a key insight.
28. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Predestination is according to God’s will, this does not mean that God forced His will upon us.
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 13
God is not a helicopter parent.
- Helicopter parents don’t let their children learn from their mistakes.
Keyword here is foreknew.
Give example of buying concert tickets for a friend who wants to go to his favorite band but doesn’t want to spend the money.
Because our understanding is limited - we allowed our friend to go
Because God’s understanding is limitless- he predestined us
Who are the called?
- And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
- “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
- and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
- Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’
- But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
- And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
- But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
- Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’
- So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
- “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
- So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
- Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Illustration of wedding crasher, who are you?)
Another example of not all who are called would be in Galatians 1
6. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
Man can’t reach out to God, God reaches out to man
God called us because without His call we would not know Him.
19. We love Him because He first loved us.
(Give illustration of the perfect unknowable goal - needle in a haystack calling out)
God’s Promise - Present
Signpost
Knowing that God called us according to His will, what are we called to?
Content
7. In Him 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,
10. 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.
Definition
Redemption (apolytrōsis)
The act of freeing or the state of being freed from bondage, such as that of a prisoner or slave, by payment of a ransom.
verse 7
7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Slaves of sin
20. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The word slave has a bad connotation and so sometimes this is translated as servant. However the word servant doesn’t carry the same meaning, it is too light a word. The word used here, “doulos”, is used to describe someone who is the property of another.
Before Christ we were in bondage to sin, that is to say sin owned us. And the price on our heads was death, that is the wages of our sin was our blood.
This is why only Christ could pay for our sins. None of us could free ourselves or each other for that matter because we owed our own blood. Christ was the only one who did not serve sin, which is according to His very nature. Because of that He was able to give His blood for our sakes, he paid the debt we owed.
This is why the resurrection is critical. If Christ was not raised from the dead, that would mean He also owed His blood. The very fact that Christ raised from the dead is evidence of His qualification to pay for our sins.
And now Christ having bought us, our relationship is no longer that of bondage, but that of adoption. We will get more into that later.
Verse 8
7. In Him 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,
God made the knowledge of the Good News abound toward us in understanding. The Good News is no secret. We have been given the knowledge of God’s grace in all wisdom and understanding.
What is the mystery of His will?
9. having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
When scripture talks about God purposing in Himself, it is a reminder that what’s being talked about is a result of His own purpose, not our own.
Verse 10
10. 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.
This verse was tricky for me to understand, and I don’t claim to have a full understanding of it still. But I will share what I have learned about it.
Dispensation is a Greek word “oikonomia” meaning stewardship.
The phrase fullness of the times refers to when an event is ready to happen, you could say when the time leading up to this event is over.
4. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Another key verse on God’s will
10. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God’s Promise - Future
Signpost
- Now knowing that God has planned redemption before the very earth, and what this redemption is, let’s look at what we have to look forward to.
Content
11. In Him 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 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.
Heirs of God, with Christ
Verse 5 mentioned our adoption, and now we see have an inheritance. Romans 8 explains this idea well.
12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17. and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…
This goes back to what we discussed earlier about being slaves to sin. We were slaves in bondage, and now we are adopted as heirs.
What is this inheritance?
Our inheritance is eternal
15. And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Our inheritance is incorruptible
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
Our inheritance is personal
4. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
- “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
- In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
- And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Verse 14
13. In Him 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.
Give example of the adoption process.
- Process can take years to go through
- During this time the child may be aware of his new family but has to wait for the process to complete
- That is like us earnestly awaiting the Lord’s return
Closing
Recap
- Past - How God’s promises of redemption were planned out before the very creation of the world
- Present - What is redemption, how does it work? What is God’s will?
- Future - What do we have to look forward to after being redeemed?
Exhortation
20. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Prayer
References: