God Chose You!
It’s hard to believe, but we are already in the month of November. This is the month where I get to celebrate my favorite holiday. Growing up, my great grandmother always hosted Thanksgiving dinner. Hands down, those were the best Thanksgivings ever! She would make sure that everyone’s favorite dish was on the menu. Everywhere you looked on the table there was something good and your plate was always running over with all kinds of incredibly delicious food. In Ephesians 1:1-14, like a great Thanksgiving feast, Paul has packed so much incredible insight and understanding regarding the plan and purpose of God’s work in calling and blessing us as His children. This week, I pray that the you would come have greater understanding of the depth of God’s love for you in choosing you for salvation…even before the creation of the world! Amen
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
Praise 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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:1-6). The apostle Paul opened his letter with a greeting to those believers (saints) at Ephesus who were (continued to be), faithful in Christ. Because of God’s grace and their faith, they enjoyed the peace of God and peace with God. (It is important to note, that while this letter was written to the church at Ephesus, it is also intended for all believers in the church universal). Following his greeting, Paul began to speak of God’s ultimate plan and His work to give believers the rich and immeasurable spiritual blessings of heaven. He said that God’s plan for us predates the creation of the world. We believers were always part of His plan, because in fact, He chose us even before the beginning of creation. We were chosen by God (note: He chose us, we did not choose Him) to be saved and to receive all of heaven’s spiritual blessings. Before creation, God determined (predestined) that through Christ’s saving work on the cross, believers would be forgiven for sin and adopted into His family. And as full members of the family, we would receive every spiritual blessing in heaven as our inheritance. The Father did this because of His grace (not because of any works on our part) which has been freely given through our faith in Jesus (“the One He loves”)l For that, all believers are to praise God. Before you were ever conceived, You were loved and chosen by God to be His child, destined to inherit the riches of heaven!
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment —to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In 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, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians I:7-12). Because of Jesus’ work of sacrifice on the cross (“through His blood”), believers have God’s grace and have been forgiven of our sins. God’s plan of salvation was hidden from His creation, but through Christ He has given us wisdom and understanding so that we now know it. In the fullness of time, He will bring everything in heaven and on earth under the Kingship of Christ. Paul said that Jewish believers were also chosen by the Father and were predestined according to God’s plan, to be the first to know Jesus and believe (before Gentiles received the word). Again, Paul points out that God’s purpose and will is that He is to receive the praise and glory, for salvation is His work, not ours. From the beginning, God’s plan for us anticipated Christ’s sacrifice as payment for our redemption and forgiveness of sins!
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14). Paul expressed to the Ephesian church that (being Gentiles) they were also included in God’s plan of salvation through Christ, when they heard the gospel and then believed. And when they (and any of us) believed, God stamped them with a seal (think of a king putting his seal on an order or proclamation). That seal is the Holy Spirit which we receive and which guarantees our salvation. Paul said that the Holy Spirit is also a deposit on the salvation and spiritual riches in heaven that God has promised us as our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is a deposit because believers have not received the full benefits of our inheritance yet. The complete benefits will come after we have been fully redeemed (purchased back from slavery to sin and removed from its presence). Then we will be with God in His presence, praising Him and giving Him the glory! God’s plan for our salvation is signed, sealed and guaranteed by the deposit of the Holy Spirit within us.
God chose you… when you really pause to think about that, it should humble and amaze you. Even before God created the world, well before you were ever conceived, He made provision for your salvation. Ephesians 1 makes it clear that your salvation is not because of your work, but His work. God put a plan into effect to to offer you salvation, forgiveness for your transgressions, and adopt you into His family, providing you with an inheritance of every one of heavens spiritual blessings. His plan called upon the redeeming work of His Son Jesus on the cross, to forgive your sins and purchase you back from the bondage that sin had you trapped in. And then, His plan enacted the work of the Holy Spirit to dwell inside you and serve as a deposit on the heavenly glory that awaits you. Through the Holy Spirit, He gives you a blessed assurance that your salvation is real and it is guaranteed. The Father planned that all before He ever formed the world and said let there be light. That should tell you something about the God you serve. He already knows the beginning and the end and He really, really wants you to be with Him in eternity. It didn’t just happen by chance, God chose you (before creation), for salvation and adoption into His family … and for that, He is worthy of all of your praise!
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
Tasha Cobbs Leonard singing “You Know My Name” ft. Jim Cravity
