Here’s the audio and notes for my sermon “Praise God the Father” based on Eph 1:1-6, preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship.
Ephesians 1:1-6: “Praise God the Father!”
Intro: As Christians we are tempted with situations and actions that clearly will ruin us: adultery, theft, rage, drunkenness
–More subtle and insidious temptation: finding the things of this life more valuable/important than God
-Tempted to give our hearts to exciting things of this life: sports, success, money, relationships, sex
-When this happens, our love for God cools and we find God boring or irrelevant.
–We need daily to see the truth: God is immeasurably greater and more majestic than anything & everything
-God is the most relevant, glorious, important, and wonderful person to know in the universe
-We were saved to know this God and make much of Him: a God who is Father, Son and H.S.
-Ephesians help us to behold this God, rejoice in His salvation, and to love & live for Him daily.
-Today, we especially rejoice in God the Father! He is amazing and deserves our praise.
Context: Ephesus was large, prosperous city (250k) with a famous temple: Temple of Artemis (Diana)
-Paul ministered there on his 3rd missionary journey and spent 2 years there
-Now Paul is in prison (probably in Rome) and writing to teach and strengthen them in the faith
M.I. Isn’t God the Father amazing? Let’s remember who He is and praise Him.
Opening words: Notice the theology and setting (1-2)
AUTHOR (1):
–Paul: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
-We learn about Paul through the book of Acts
-Fierce opponent of Christianity, converted to Christ and called to be in an apostle (Acts 9).
–Recipients: (1b): To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
-“Saints in Ephesus”: Christians who lived in Ephesus and part of many house churches there.
–NOTE: ALL Christians are “saints”=holy ones (Contra Roman Catholicism)
-“faithful in Christ Jesus”
-By God’s grace, this is what believers are.
-Opening Prayer: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
–Grace and peace: Two things everyone of us needs from God and needs daily.
–NOTE: From God the Father AND Jesus Christ
-Shows the deity of Jesus.
I. Praise God the Father (1:3-6)
-The God of Christianity, is a TRINITY: 3 persons in one God
-Passage of praise to God, who is Father (3-6), Son (7-12), and Holy Spirit (13-14)
-TODAY, we look the praise to the God the Father (3-6)
-3 things we praise God the Father: 1 Blessing us, 2 Choosing us, 3 Showing us grace.
-A view of these truths about God the Father lead us to worship and rejoice in Him.
1. We Praise God the Father for Blessing Us (3)
-God the Father deserves our worship! (3a):3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
-Paul’s statement is one of adoration and worship=God the Father is amazing and deserves our worship!’
-This sets up the rest of the LONG sentence (3-14) àone of praise and rejoicing in God.
-God the Father has Blessed us (3b): who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
-God the Father has blessed us!
-See this about God the Father—He is a God who blesses His people
-His heart chooses to pour good things out upon His people.
-Blessed in Christ
-We experience the blessing of God the Father through His Son Jesus –NOTE: “Every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places”
-God’s blessings are not singular, but diverse and many “EVERY”
-God’s blessings here are the ‘spiritual blessings’—not merely physical or temporal
-Come through God the Holy Spirit and speak of spiritual realities—explained more in 4-6.
APP: God the Father has blessed us—this is who He is truly is and what He has done—and because this is true, we ought to praise Him. He is more gracious, kind, and good than we recognize. He is truly wonderful to us.
2. We Praise God the Father for Choosing Us (4-5)
-God chooses us: 4 even as he chose us in him
-God took the initiative, not us. This is called ‘ELECTION’
-We are chosen “in Christ”
-This election took place before there was a world: before the foundation of the world,
-God, before the world existed, chose a people who be saved.
-The end of election: that we should be holy and blameless before him.
-God intends to make us “holy and blameless before him”
–Gill: He elects us not because we were holy, but that we might become holy
-God is able to make this happen.
*APPLICATION: If you are a Christian you are holy and blameless before God, because of the gospel
-See yourself this way. It is true, though it is the ‘already and not yet’
-God predestines us: In love 5 he predestined us
-This closely related to election—it is was a prior decision made by God—but emphasizes predetermination of God
-God, before there was a world, predestined individuals and people who would be saved.
–NOTE: “in love”
-This predestining and electing was a great act of LOVE.
–STOTT: Election/Predestination is 1. Biblical; 2. Incentive to holiness not sin; 3. Leads to Humility
*CLARIFICATION: God’s people are not elected because they deserve it, or God saw a future faith.
-Election is act of love and grace on individuals who do not deserve it and would never choose God.
-God’s decision to elect some for His glory is holy, just, and gracious
-We all deserve hell, not heaven, but God graciously saves some for His glory
–BUT, we give the gospel invitation to all, and ‘all who believe in Christ will be saved’
–PARADOX: God’s Sovereign Choice and REAL Human Responsibility
-We don’t have to fully grasp it, but we confess it and humble ourselves before God.
-Predestined for adoption: for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,
-The intention of God was that a people would be saved from sin and brought into God’s family.
-This takes place “through Jesus Christ”
-See John 1:12-13
–JI PACKER: The blessing of ADOPTION are even greater than the blessing of justification
–NOTE: This is according to the purpose of his will,
-Our God is a loving, adopting God, who chooses us and saves us into His family.
APP: The doctrine of election and predestination should not lead us to arguments or suspicious of God’s character
-It should lead us to praise and adore God who chose us and love us!
3. We Praise God the Father for Showing Us Grace (6)
God the Father chose us for this end: that we might be: 6 to the praise of his glorious grace
-We were created and saved for the glory of God!
-Specifically—that we might praise His GLORIOUS GRACE”
OBJECTION: Isn’t it egotistical of God to create us to praise Him and His grace, and command us to worship Him?
ANSWER: No, 1. God is greatest and deserves our worship.
2. Nothing else can truly satisfy us—kind to command us to worship Him. –Grace=God’s kindness and love to sinners who deserve judgment and wrath
-This grace is beautiful, astonishing, and worthy of our praise. àEph 2:8-9!
-God the Father shows us this grace in Christ: with which he has blessed us in the Beloved
-God’s grace is shown in the arrival, ministry, death and res of Jesus for sinners.
–UNBELIEVER: Believe in Jesus today and you will be saved! This is grace.
II. APPLICATION: SEE AGAIN THE GLORY AND GRACE OF GOD THE FATHER!
-God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies—He is amazing!
-God the Father has chosen a people to adopt them—Rejoice in His love!
-God the Father has given us grace in Christ—believe in Jesus and rejoice in His AMAZING GRACE!
*CLOSE: May God give us eyes to see these truths and love Him above all this week!
