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Blessed · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  The letter to the Ephesian church is a letter to the church and about the church. I said last week, and I do believe that we are on the verge, quite possibly, of a godless America. We are on the verge of persecution in the church. We could very well be on the verge of no longer needing to search out non-believing pockets in America. Where should we plant a church, for instance? But rather, we ourselves, Christians and churches, becoming the pockets.
• 0:26
  And on that day, we said last week, what an advantage it will be to us to be part of the true church. One week ago today, when we were all meeting, January 16, the CBS News ran an article that said that Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, is returning to work. She was a teacher before he was elected, and so she's going to become a teacher again. You guys have undoubtedly heard the story.
• 0:51
  CBS reported saying taking on a job as an art teacher at a Virginia Christian school where she was previously employed. The school bans LGBTQ students and employees.
• 1:01
  The Emanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia borrows employees from engaging in homosexual sexual activity, does not condone transgender identity according to its employment application. A parent agreement of the school says it will not admit students who participate in or condone homosexual activity. Honestly, identical wording, identical wording to what every other Christian school, at least biblical Christian school, says. It's not any different than the Christian schools that some of your kids go to. Identical wording.
• 1:28
  The parental agreement says, I acknowledge the importance of a family culture based on biblical principles and embrace biblical family values such as a healthy marriage between one man and one woman. And my role as their parent and a spiritual mentor is to train my children to take that seriously. And such a requirement is common in Christian schools, CBS reports. Emanuel Christian School specifically bans those types of activities among its students and among its faculty. The application also asks school staff.
• 1:56
  to sign a pledge to live a personal life of moral purity. Applicants are also asked to explain their view on things like creation and evolution and those types of things. CBS continues, Pence previously taught at the school for 12 years while her husband Mike Pence was in Congress. But now as second lady, Pence has also promoted art. In 2017, she announced a platform called Art Therapy Healing with a Heart. Highlight art therapy as a mental health profession. Her spokesperson who reported to CBS says,
• 2:28
  She's returned to the school where she previously taught. It's absurd that her decision to teach art to children at a Christian school and the school's religious beliefs are under attack. Now, that has garnered a lot of attention that you guys have undoubtedly seen on your phones or on the news. She is getting absolutely blasted, blasted by mainstream media. I mean, across the board, she is getting absolutely plowed in the news.
• 2:56
  daring to work at a Christian school who would hold to such a stance. One commentator even called her non-Christian because she said, certainly this woman does not exemplify the moral values of Jesus Christ. Matt Walsh, a blogger for the Daily Wire, said this on the same day, and I liked his wording, I don't know who he is, but he said this, listen to this, the left stream media is once again shocked to learn
• 3:26
  that the Pence's are Christians. It seems they learn this fact anew every few months or so and are freshly outraged every time it dawns on them. The epiphany happened again this week when Mike Pence's wife, Karen, got a job at a Christian private school. Of course, the stated reason for this outrage is not that Karen Pence, a Christian, is working for Emmanuel Christian School, a Christian school, but that the school bans openly gay teachers and does not admit openly gay students. Also prohibits all other forms of sexually immoral conduct, not just homosexuality, but also premarital sex.
• 3:56
  Teachers are required to officially affirm the biblical position on all of these subjects. But he says there is no difference between attacking Karen Pence for working at a Christian school and attacking Karen Pence for working at a Christian school that prohibits behavior contrary to Christian teaching. Here's what he means. This is what every authentic, incredible Christian school ought to do. The point is clear.
• 4:16
  If you are manifestly and in principle opposed to Christian morality, you obviously do not belong at a Christian school. In the same way, it would be reasonable to exclude you from attending or working for a Muslim institution or a Jewish institution if you reject Muslim or Jewish teachings. This is incredibly obvious and ought to be uncontroversial. Here's the dirty little secret about legitimate Christian schools. They are in the business of teaching Christianity.
• 4:46
  They teach other things too, but always through a Christian lens. And if you're not willing to impart or receive those teachings, there are many other lovely educational options available. You know, it's funny to me, and regardless of your views on that particular subject and whether you think Karen Pence should work for such an institution, it doesn't matter in this regard in that it is new, it's new in the history of our country that a president's wife
• 5:14
  would be castigated for teaching the Christian school who holds to traditional Christian values. That's a new thing, right? I think there was a time probably where it would have been difficult to be elected as president if you didn't claim to be a Christian, right?
• 5:33
  And I'm not here to make any, this is not a political speech, and I'm not telling you who to vote for, and I'm not telling you any of that, right? You guys didn't hear any of that stuff. What I'm telling you is things are changing in our country, and I believe that that statement that we just started with, we are on the verge of a godless America, may very well be true. We are on the verge of persecution in the church, and if that persecution looks like, you know, crucifying Christians, or if it just looks like...
• 6:00
  stripping them, churches of their nonprofit status, you know, taking away licensed ministers, tax breaks and advantages and those types of things. I don't know what it will look like, but I do think we're on the verge of some major changes. And we as a body must be devoted to our bridegroom. We as individuals must be devoted to both the bridegroom and his bride. And this is the message of Ephesians. This is why Ephesians is...
• 6:30
  so applicable to today because in Ephesians, the author elevates Jesus Christ and in so doing also elevates his wife because the two, a husband and wife, are one. And Ephesians chapter 5 even says that. You cannot think highly of me and not think highly of my wife. Right? We're a team. I love Pastor Danny. It's highly I can't stand.
• 6:53
  Right? There's no such thing. You can't be friends with one of us and not be friends with both of us. If you have a high opinion of one of us, you will automatically by default have a high opinion of the other. It's a package deal. And the same is true in the book of Ephesians. In Ephesians, we said last week, Ephesians challenges us to fall in love with Jesus afresh. The Song of Solomon calls him the chiefest among 10,000, the altogether lovely one, fairer than the fair.
• 7:23
  the glorious bridegroom of our hearts. But in so doing, let's not forget the bride. My prayer and hope, honest hope, is that as we study the book of Ephesians, we will fall in love anew with Christ, but also fall in love with his bride, the church. Well, are there any blessings in your life which you totally take for granted and which you therefore never thank God for? Are there any blessings in your life which you totally take for granted
• 7:53
  And which you therefore never thank God for. Because you didn't really realize they were a blessing. Years ago I was a chaplain for a hospital. The hospital near our town, A.V. Hospital. And being a chaplain and being certified as a chaplain at the hospital meant that I got an I.D. badge. And this I.D. badge gave me access.
• 8:11
  to places where normal visitors were not allowed to go. I didn't have to check in. I didn't have to write my name down. I skipped the metal detectors, which are a real thing in L.A. hospitals. I got to skip all of that stuff and could just go anywhere I wanted. In fact, when I was being oriented, I had my orientation there in the hospital, I was even warned saying, be careful which doors you go into because your badge will literally get you anywhere.
• 8:36
  You could accidentally walk into an operating room. Your badge will open the door. While they're performing surgery, you'll end up standing there, you know, in your khaki pants or whatever. Like, you know, okay, I'll be really careful. Well, there was a section of the hospital, the second floor, the west wing of the second floor called 2 West. And 2 West was the wing for mental illness. And there was a day where I was trying to navigate the hospital, finding my way to 2 West, because there was a man there that I was trying to go and visit.
• 9:07
  Two West was the place where they had suicide watches. It was also the place where if they felt like you were a menace to yourself or to society, they would lock you up. They could lock you into that wing and not let you out. That was the place with padded rooms and those types of things. And so I worked my way in there and realized that my badge would open the first door. There were two sets of doors, right, like a bank to keep people in, right?
• 9:33
  So one would open, you'd go in, and it would shut and not until that one was shut would the other one open, right, to keep people from escaping in essence. And so I found that my badge would open the front door but not the second door. And so I worked my way in. It came in and shut, and now I was in here. And so I had to ring in to the guard to let me out through into 2 West. And so I visited the guy that I needed to see, and I turned back around, worked my way out, and crash barred through the first set of doors on my way back out.
• 10:02
  It shut behind me. But then I realized that my badge did not open those second set of doors from the other way. And so I couldn't get out this way. I couldn't get out this way. And I was stuck inside of the two West locked room and literally had to sit there, was pushing the buzzer, whatever. Nobody was answering. I'm sitting there and I sat there for a long time before somebody finally came in the other way to get into two West, one of the orderlies.
• 10:32
  I said, oh, I'm so glad that you're here. And he was surprised to see me. I said, thanks. Thanks for letting me out. He said, I'm not letting you out. I'm not actually into West. I was just visiting someone. He says, that's what everybody says. Sit right there. He did. He did. You'll sit right there.
• 10:55
  And then I went through the process of showing ID and showing all of these things, you know, and that they didn't actually have me registered as a patient in the hospital. And I'm telling you, I have never been as thankful to get out of that wing as I was that day. I didn't realize what a blessing it was, what a blessing it was not to be somewhere, to have the freedom to go when I needed. And you know, it occurred to me, I had never one time in my life to that point thanked God.
• 11:22
  I had never thanked God. Of all the times I thanked God, I had never thanked God that I wasn't stuck in the hospital and too wasted. It never even occurred to me to thank God for that particular blessing. Does that make sense? Completely taken for granted. And so because it was taken for granted, it never even occurred to me to thank God for that. What we're going to see in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 to 14 tonight is that we have a God who gives blessings. Many of those blessings have become so...
• 11:52
  so mundane, if you'll allow me to call them that, because it's mildly blasphemous, in my opinion, to call these blessings mundane, but they've become so familiar that we just completely take them for granted. And I think many of these things, as we're thanking God for the more trivial things in our lives, like money, right? We forget to thank him for the things that cost him a lot more than that.
• 12:18
  There are some things that God has blessed us with that cost him way more than whatever's in our bank accounts. And that we neglect to thank him for because we so take them for granted. And so I'm going to begin in verse 3. We studied verses 1 and 2 last week. I'm going to begin in verse 3 with the blessed giver. We're going to look at the giver himself, verse 3. And we're going to take a few minutes just on verse 3 and look at who God is according to this one verse.
• 12:46
  Allow me to read verse 3. It says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. The apostle begins by calling us, all who know God, to bless God. And you say, what does it mean to bless God? And I think if I could sum it up, just an easy way to understand how do we bless God. Blessing God means bringing Him joy by bringing Him praise. When we praise God, it actually fills Him with joy.
• 13:16
  So bring joy to the Lord by bringing him praise. William MacDonald has said the apostle lift his voice in a magnificent hymn of praise, soaring into the sum of the sublimest heights of New Testament worship. Here we have the overflow of a heart that adores God for the blessings of grace. And so as we look at Jesus.
• 13:39
  who blesses us in the heavenlies with all of these sublime blessings. Let it stir in us a feeling of gratitude. Let our hearts overflow with praise. And if I'm honest, one of the most difficult spiritual hurdles in my life is taking the incredibly familiar, things like the gospel, which we're going to see here in just a moment, and not allowing them to become mundane. I've often said that the gospel feels like a new pair of shoes.
• 14:11
  You get brand new shoes, right? You're not going to wear them in the rain. You're careful about where you wear it. You're careful about what you step on. You're much more careful about where you place your feet. You're not going to walk across grass, right? Because I don't want to get scuffs on my new shoes. But eventually those new shoes become the old shoes, right? And where once you would only wear them once a week and only to church, now they become the pair of shoes you wear once a week to mow the lawn, right?
• 14:40
  And the gospel feels that way sometimes. We become so familiar that it becomes mundane. And so let's make some observations about the giver himself. Then we'll make some observations about the blessings that he gives. Notice first, the blessed giver. The very beginning of verse 3, he is genuinely generous. Look at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every, you see that word every? Every spiritual blessing. NIV says all spiritual blessings.
• 15:09
  everything that you have that is a blessing is from the Lord. We know this from James chapter one. Everything we have, every single good thing we have in our lives has come down to us from the father of lights. We know that to be true. And yet we take pride in our stuff. We can get arrogant. How can we be an arrogant people? That's impossible, right? For people who will admit that every good thing comes from him. God has an open heart. We know that, but he also has an open hand.
• 15:38
  Heals nothing back that his children need for genuine worship and spiritual growth. I love that Tom said, he will give you the desires of your heart. I can't remember now if it was Tom or Linda. It might have been Linda, actually. She said all the good stuff. Right? He will give you the desires of your heart. And she even said, not necessarily what you want. Not necessarily what you want. The Bible says everything you need that pertains to godliness. Everything.
• 16:06
  Every single thing the Lord has called you to, he has given you the resources to accomplish. Everything. All of it. You want to grow spiritually? The Lord has done it. You want to know him? You want to experience joy and hope? The Lord has done it. There is nothing good that this earth has that the Lord has not provided for us here or in the future. He is genuinely generous. He gives all, every spiritual blessing. Notice, he has a proper perspective, a proper perspective. That's hard to say, actually.
• 16:36
  Proper perspective. In that these blessings, he's very specific about them. He's particular about them. These blessings that he gives us are spiritual blessings. He blesses us physically as well. Right? None of us went hungry today. We praise God for that. But these blessings that he's about to describe are spiritual blessings because he knows the value of the spiritual, the eternal, over the physical and temporal. Many times what we want is not what we need.
• 17:03
  And throughout his ministry, we know this. If you study the life of Christ, Christ would cut to the heart of people's issues. Though they asked for bread for their bodies, he often provided bread for their souls. You remember in John chapter 6, Jesus feeds the thousands. And so he gathers this massive group of people, maybe 20,000 strong.
• 17:23
  And he's got them all there and they're all gathered and they're all eating. And as long as the buffet was open, the people were happy. But when the buffet closed, they start coming to him and saying, feed us again, we're hungry again. And he makes this statement in John chapter 6 that freaked everybody out. Do you remember what he said? I am the bread of life. You're hungry? Fantastic. I am the bread of life. Eat from me and you'll live. Man, that weirded them out. I was just looking for bread, dude. And people, they really did. John chapter 6, they just began leaving by the thousands, deserting him, deserting him, deserting him.
• 17:53
  He knew what they needed. It wasn't bread for their bodies that they needed. It was bread for their souls. He has proper perspective. Notice also, this blessed giver is future focused. Verse 3 continues, these spiritual blessings are in the heavenly places. In the heavenly places. Praise God that every blessing we have in Jesus, we don't have yet. I mean, our lives are good. In Christ, our lives are good. But you know what? They're only going to get better.
• 18:20
  I heard a man say one time, and I completely agree, that this is good news for the Christian because this right now, sitting right here, is the closest to hell you will ever get. This is it. Unless God calls you to the Antelope Valley. It's slightly closer. It is slightly closer. But this is the closest you'll ever get to hell. Hell, for the believer, for the genuine believer in Jesus Christ, hell will always be theoretical. Right?
• 18:50
  Talked about but never seen. You will never have to go there to pay anything off. It's false teaching. That's not what the Bible says. The blessings that we experience in Christ. These spiritual blessings are in heavenly places. And although we enjoy the benefits from them now. What we enjoy now on earth is just a glimpse. It's just a glimpse of what awaits us. He is future focused. Notice also in verse 3. He is willing to wound. Throughout.
• 19:19
  This text you are going to see at least six different times. It's actually seven times if you include verse 3. Verse 3, notice it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us. What are the next two words? In Christ. Do you see that?
• 19:36
  In Christ. In Christ is said seven times between verses 3 and 14. Seven times in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ. We have the blessings that we're about to describe only because of the work of Jesus. So in other words, God was willing to bless us only by punishing his son. All of these blessings that we're going to talk about tonight exist for us because of the sacrifice of Jesus. If he hadn't gone to the cross, none of this would be true.
• 20:05
  I don't know which Bible plan you guys chose out there for your New Year's resolutions and Bible reading and all of that. I chose the Cinco, the Cinco plan. I read five days a week, go through the Bible in a year, five days per week. I get to skip one or two days per week if I need. Five days a week, I go all the way through the Bible. If you're reading that plan, then you're right at the end of Joseph's life in Genesis and you've just finished the book of Mark. And man, rereading the book of Mark, it is remarkable.
• 20:35
  David Allison that was for you. I don't see David. I can't believe especially the last half of the book of Mark how clear Jesus is with what he says. I know what's coming. I mean he describes the crucifixion.
• 20:49
  He says, here's who's going to do it. Here's what they're going to do. Here's how they're going to kill me. He says, and on the third day, I will raise. I mean, it's just over. It's so clear. I'm going to Jerusalem. And when I go to Jerusalem, they're going to hang me up on a tree. This is coming. This is coming. This is coming. He says it over and over with clarity. And then it says over and over and over that the disciples didn't understand. They didn't understand. They sat there in ignorance. They sat there in their confusion. I've got to believe that at least some of that was chosen ignorance.
• 21:18
  Because it was so clear over and over. Mark 8, Mark 9, Mark 10. He says over and over and over. He's talking about going to Jerusalem. He's going to hang on the cross. And while he's talking about that, these guys are all talking about who gets the best seat in the kingdom. What's going on right now? You know, it's just crazy to me. And what I love is that Jesus was so clear about no, he knew perfectly what was going to happen. And he went anyway.
• 21:48
  He went anyway. And I've got to wonder, Lord, if you revealed to me the time of my death, and it was a horrific, gruesome, mocking, in front of thousands, humiliating and shameful death, and you tell me where it's going to be, I'm going the other way, man. You've got to swallow me with a big fish. I'm not doing that. Jesus goes anyway.
• 22:12
  is testament to his willingness to wound himself, to inflict damage to himself, to bring our good. And man, that is the gospel. The gospel says that he was willing to do that for our sake. For our sake, he became sin so that those who were sin could become righteous. He was willing to wound. That's the blessed.
• 22:35
  That's who this God is that we're going to be studying. Now let's look at the blessings given. And you'll notice, I mean, the apostle actually outlines this for us. Every time it says Jesus Christ or in Christ, that's another blessing. You have this blessing in Christ. You have this blessing in Christ. You have this blessing in Christ. And verse 4 is the first one. We're chosen. Verse 4 says, even as he chose us in him, in Christ, right? Before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.
• 23:06
  Even as He chose us in Him, we can conclude by this simple verse that divine election is not only true, but is the very foundation of saved by grace itself. I've heard people say, I don't believe in the choosing or election of God. And I think, well, then you don't believe in Ephesians chapter 1. It says it right there. He chose us.
• 23:34
  Now you can redefine and kind of change your definition of what choosing means, but you can't say, I don't believe he chose us, because it says he chose us. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. We, I think, would be the first to admit that if salvation had anything to do with our own action, if we deserved anything for it, even in the slightest degree, it would no longer be entirely of grace.
• 24:02
  Even if it's only 1% our own work, it was still a little bit of work, right? It's mostly Jesus, but I still got to do something. And if it's even something, just much, you know, then it's not entirely of grace then. It relies at least a little bit on our own human effort. And it's true that the Bible clearly teaches that God chooses men to salvation. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you.
• 24:30
  as the first fruits to be saved. We also know from Scripture that true believers are elected according to the foreknowledge of God. 1 Peter chapter 1, to those who are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Scripture also states that a man can know whether he is elect based on his response to the gospel. You say, well, how do I know if I'm elect? Do you believe? Well, yeah, then you're elect. Congratulations. I mean, it really is. It's as simple as that. If you believe, then you're elect. You say, well, Pastor Danny, how does that work? And let me just be honest and say, I have no idea.
• 25:00
  Because the Bible also teaches the responsibility of mankind. I heard a man say, if you go to heaven, it's God's fault. If you go to hell, it's your fault. It's your fault. You're responsible. You're responsible for your sin. You're responsible for your actions. You're responsible to believe. You say, well, isn't that a work? Apparently not. Because Ephesians chapter 2 says, even the faith that we exercise in Him for salvation was a gift from God.
• 25:23
  So even the faith that we exercise, even that was his grace being poured out on us. The Bible, unfortunately, and only the Lord knows, and I think there will be a time where we will know, teaches that God is absolutely sovereign over salvation, does all the work, nothing that we can do to earn it. Praise God, that means there's nothing we can do to dis-earn it, un-earn it, right? But that we also are responsible to respond to the gospel. Our passage continues, not only are we chosen,
• 25:54
  But this choosing was carried out by the Trinity in eternity past for the purpose of your holiness for an eternity future. He says before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him, before the world was even created and who existed before the world, but God, God in the Trinity in eternity past for the purpose of your holiness for an eternity in the future. First John chapter three, verse two, beloved, we are God's children.
• 26:20
  What we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is. The doctrine of election, I've heard one man say, allows God to be God, God to be sovereign, even over matters of human salvation. Absolutely sovereign. That's first. He chose us. Second, He chose us to adoption. Notice in verse 5, He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. There it is, Jesus Christ. Adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose.
• 26:53
  Now, I won't belabor the point because I did talk about this during the Christmas message. In fact, I think maybe even the Christmas Eve service, I talked about what it means to be adopted by God, what the word means, and so I'll just cover it quickly here. The New Testament usage of the term adoption means to place a believer into the family of God as a mature adult son. In other words, and Galatians chapter 4 goes into this a little bit, by placing you as an adult son in the kingdom of God,
• 27:21
  That means that you lack nothing of the privileges that would have been afforded to any son born naturally. My sons are privileged, in my opinion, to be raised in my home. Can I get an amen? They may not see it that way. And then again, this is one of the blessings I believe they take for granted. However, you know, Chase is a full fledged son of mine. He's a full fledged son. He bears my name.
• 27:51
  There is nothing that keeps him. He will not become more of a son the older he gets, right? His sonship is permanent and full. However, his benefits as son will change over the course of time, right? There will be a day when he is an adult. There will be a day where I am gone and his inheritance, my inheritance to him, his inheritance of mine will be full. It won't be much, but maybe enough to buy a nice motor scooter, which is probably what he'd buy with it now.
• 28:23
  But that's not the way it is in the kingdom of God. The Bible says that when you are adopted as a son, you are adopted fully as sons. Nothing is held back. You don't have to wait on any of these blessings to grow up. Does that make sense? You are a full co-heir with Christ. It's a crazy concept. Adoption. He recognizes you as fully a part of his family the same way that he recognizes Jesus as part of his family.
• 28:52
  That's second. Adoption of sons. Notice it continues in verse 6. To the praise of His glorious grace. Now, if you consider that type of adoption, what would your response be? What should your response be? You were a people without a father? Now you have a father. We didn't have a family. Now we have a family. Verse 6 makes sense. To the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the beloved in Jesus. The third of these blessings comes in verse 8. In Him, we have redemption. We've been redeemed.
• 29:19
  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace. Redemption. The Greek word literally means released for a ransom. Released. Enslaved previously and now purchased, bought back. It's used of release from physical torture. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 35, it says that the believers were being tortured physically in Hebrews 11. Well, that's the hall of faith, right?
• 29:45
  Being tortured. But when we're released, that's the word redeemed. You can imagine all of the parallels that has to our life before Christ. Torture. Right? Christ redeemed me, released me from that. Also for the release of God's saints at the second advent of Christ in Luke chapter 21 when Jesus comes back. Now taken along with its use here in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7, we can deduce
• 30:10
  that the bondage and marring of sin no longer has possession over the believer. So in other words, if you take these three instances used in the New Testament and combine them to create kind of a full field of meaning, this word redeemed means that you were once being tortured, marred by sin, and bonded, bound by sin, but now you've been redeemed. The ransom being paid through his blood. Through his blood, verse 7 says.
• 30:39
  In Him we have redemption through His blood, accomplishing the forgiveness of sin. And I wonder if we have time, man, if we had time, could anybody give testimony to the physical torture of sin? Man, anybody have sleepless nights over your sin? Anybody have guilt and shame because of your sin? And guys, I'm not talking about that that guilt is deserved, because Jesus took it. I mean, it's gone, right?
• 31:14
  But gosh, there are some things that I've done that I question whether a grown man in Christ would have done. And it causes me a time to despair. I feel physical anxiety. And I'm not saying this is the right response. Because the Lord says I can lay that anxiety down. But there are some things, consequences of sin, the weight of which are so heavy that at times I've actually doubted my own salvation. Am I really saved?
• 31:42
  A man who's really saved walks like Jesus walked, right? You don't continue in sin any longer. I mean, Hebrews just beats you up if you want to get beat up about it. Hebrews beats you up. There's no longer any sacrifice for sin. Man. In that context, this word redeemed makes sense. He has bought you back. No longer being marred. No longer being tortured. Don't let that happen anymore. He says that's done. You have freedom in Christ. Redemption. He continues in verse 9. We've also been enlightened. Enlightened.
• 32:14
  Verse 7 ends with according to the riches of his grace. According to the riches of his grace. Man, there's a whole other sermon I would love to preach on according to the riches of his grace. I love that God blesses us according to his riches and not from his riches. Do you ever think about that? From his riches means he would have a little less if he gave it away according to his riches. If it's infinite wealth, according to his riches means.
• 32:35
  That if he has infinite wealth, he will bless you infinitely. And I'm not talking about financial here. God has blessed us financially. We praise God for that. I don't want to demean that either. But man, if he is infinitely loving, infinitely kind, infinitely forgiving, infinitely merciful, and he blesses us according to those riches. Holy cow. Not from, but according. That's a whole different sermon. Verse 8. Which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight.
• 32:59
  Making known to us, verse 9 is the key, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. I told you guys last week that Ephesians is about revealing mysteries, right? Seven times in six chapters, the word mystery. Mystery being revealed is used in the book of Ephesians. And here it is for the first time. A mystery that was previously undisclosed is now being disclosed.
• 33:28
  And he's made it known to us, the church made it known to us, the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, set forth in Christ when the fullness of time had come, right? As a plan for the fullness of time. And what was that mystery? The end of verse 10 says it. Uniting all things. Unifying all things. Bringing unity where there was discord.
• 33:54
  Right? Reconciling things. We said it this way last week. Reconciling things that were previously irreconcilable. There were a couple of examples, physical examples that he's going to use. Ephesians chapter 2 is going to talk about that Jew versus Gentile debate. These guys cannot get along. They can't get along. In fact, they still can't get along. Watch CNN.
• 34:13
  They still can't get along. God is able to, in Christ, break down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile. He is able to reconcile people and take from the two men, make one new man in Christ. That's the church. Ephesians chapter 5 uses that word mystery of husbands and wives, saying that marriage is a mystery. And you guys, if you're married, you'll know, and you would say this, apart from Christ, irreconcilable. Right?
• 34:39
  This doesn't work. It doesn't work apart from Christ. It doesn't. Unless we are really honestly willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, marriage doesn't work. He's able to reconcile what was previously irreconcilable. And he, in verse 9, says he's made that known to us. He gives us enlightenment. He helps us to understand where there was previously darkness. The secret of God's plan is made known to the church.
• 35:09
  The secret of God's plan. Now here's a blessing that I'll bet you've taken for granted and probably haven't thanked God for in a while. Do you ever consider what it would be like not to know where you came from or why you're here? What happens after you die? Do you remember what it was like if you became a believer later in life? Do you remember what it was like to have no idea what would happen if you died? No clue. And the despair and the confusion and the... I mean, I...
• 35:40
  Man, there's a, I don't know, some people I think have a freedom maybe in ignorance. They just choose not to think about it. Not to think about it. So they just live their lives the way they're going to eat, drink, and be married. Tomorrow we die, right? It's frivolous. It's meaningless. It's trivial. It's nothing. There's nothing. Others become still wracked by fear. Fear. They live their lives in this constant state of tension and fear, not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow and not knowing, right? And scrambling because they're just, they're terrified. They have no idea what the future will hold.
• 36:12
  man, what a privilege it is to be liberated from that. Can we just go before the throne and say, Lord, thank you that I know what's going to happen to me after I die. If nothing else, Lord, I've been enlightened. I understand. I know where I came from. I know I was created by a God who loves me. Right? It wasn't an accident. If nothing else, I know why I'm here. I've been given purpose and direction. I know what happens after I die. Enlightened. Verse 11 talks about the inheritance we'll receive. Look at verse 11. In him, in Christ.
• 36:44
  We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. Now that verse 12 causes some people to stumble. Who was it that were the first to hope in Christ? I believe that's the first generation Christians, specifically, possibly even the apostles. The first to hope in Christ was that first generation of Christians.
• 37:12
  Verse 13 continues in him. You also everyone else, right? When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed. So he's talking about this inheritance that those first generation believers got, but it wasn't just them. It extends to all of God's saints and inheritance. Both Jew and Gentiles have a share. He's saying in the kingdom because of their union with Christ, those who were the first in Christ, those.
• 37:41
  first Jewish believers in him you also verse 13 says not confined to Jews alone but also extended to the Gentiles and I think you see in verse 13 a beautiful and simple explanation of every single conversion look again at verse 13 in him you also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him you heard the word of truth the gospel and believed
• 38:08
  The simplest explanation of how somebody gets saved, to hear the truth and believe, and scripture is clear, that believing follows hearing. You ever wonder whose ears are waiting to hear the truth, the gospel truth, from your mouth? There's kind of a phrase that we use a lot. It's become repeated pretty consistently. It's become a theme of our preaching, and that is, here at the church, that is that I am not called to share the gospel with your friends. I'm not called.
• 38:42
  to share the gospel with your neighbors, with your co-workers, right? You are called to share the gospel with them. I think there's been an understanding, I don't know, that the pastor's job, he's a professional Christian, right? So if I can just get somebody to church, and I've had people share this with me, and it was always shared in love, and it's not a big deal, you know, and I understand the reasoning behind it, but I've had people come at times and say, Pastor Danny, one of my co-workers is going to be visiting church today, so preach real good.
• 39:13
  You better bring it today. You better not flub because I got a co-worker coming. You know what? Honestly, obviously, I take this seriously. I'm not going to flub it if I can help it. But man, it's not my job to share with your friend.
• 39:27
  It's not my job. I hope when they come, they would experience the love of Christ, grace, forgiveness. I hope that they would see a people set free. I hope that that would be so attractive to them. Man, that they would fall on their knees and give their lives to Jesus right there. That would be my honest prayer. I would love to participate in that. I'll play a small role in it. But we are called to go and preach. Right? It's okay, Jerome. We are called to go and preach. That's our job. Right? And in the preaching, they hear and we pray.
• 39:55
  And did you know I have found in my own life that even reluctant evangelists can still be used? Even reluctant evangelists can still be used. There was a time when I was a much younger man. I was maybe 21 years old. I and some friends from college had had a layover in Western Europe, decided to extend our layover on the way back from Israel. We had spent a semester over there studying. On the way back, decided to extend that layover 21 days.
• 40:22
  It was the same exact cost. We called the travel agent. We had a three-hour layover. How much would it cost to stay? Oh, it's the same. Just let us know when you want to come home. All right, three weeks. Met a whole bunch of just crazy people, weird people from all over the world during that time. But one young lady that I met was a college student at Texas A&M.
• 40:43
  She and a friend of hers had gone over there not fully expecting, you know, not having any idea what to expect. I didn't know what to expect either, but for a young lady that was a little bit different for her. And so she decided that I and my friend were pretty nice guys and seemed trustworthy. And so basically just said, can me and my friend just kind of follow you and your friend around? Right? Yeah, all right. Didn't really get to know her very well, you know, but sitting on some canal.
• 41:11
  In Venice, Italy, she decides to ask me, why were you in Israel? Well, I go to a college in the United States and I spend a semester over here and we're just studying some historical stuff. I'm really like, what? Oh, the old city of Jerusalem. Well, why is that important to you? And I'm not kidding. I'm just downplaying everything. I didn't want to talk to her. The whole time, I'm like, man, just leave me alone. I don't want to talk. Like, what? The old city of Jerusalem. Why is that important?
• 41:39
  because Jesus lived there. Really? Tell me about that. I don't want to tell you about it, you know, but I did. And I mean, I'm not kidding. She just keeps asking and asking and asking. And eventually all the way through the whole story, creation, mankind, sin, the fall, the whole thing. Well, really? Is that what you believe? Yeah. Well, I was taught something different. Oh, you don't say, you know, I'm not kidding. I mean, I really was. I was just.
• 42:04
  didn't want to do it and all the way through to the end eventually she just she hears the whole thing wow that's that's fascinating that you believe that that was the end of the conversation you know two years later two years i got a postcard in the mail i got a postcard in the mail we've never talked to this girl again two years later she figured out before facebook before myspace i have no idea how she even she remembered the name of the school so she sent me a postcard
• 42:31
  That said, Danny, didn't even know my last name. Just wanted you to know. I listened. I gave my life to Christ. I'm part of Campus Crusade here at my school. It's changed my life. Don't even know if you'll get this, but I wanted to tell you. I just thought, man, I don't get credit for that one. I don't. I don't. Can you imagine? Just reluctant. I don't want to do it, Lord. Just leave me alone. You know, I don't want to talk. And even reluctant evangelists can still be used. Hearing and believing.
• 43:05
  Man. Notice the last thing it says. We're sealed. We're sealed in Jesus. And I love this. In him, it says in verse 13, in him we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who was the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. They had heard the truth. They believed that truth. They were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Notice no concession is given. No exception is given. No delayed distribution is even mentioned. Now there is a...
• 43:34
  A doctrine in the Holy Spirit, talking about being filled with the Spirit. You can be filled and unfilled. There can be times when you are walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit can come and anoint and pour a blessing and even power on you. You see that throughout the book of Acts. You see that. But...
• 43:53
  this particular ministry happens to every single believer in Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes in you and lives. And this says it seals you as a guarantee. Now, some translations use the word deposit. Deposit. Right now, a deposit, we understand deposits. Deposit is a down payment, right? Guaranteeing the rest of the payment. It's on its way. It will be filled. And so, if you were ever curious about, am I really going to end up in heaven?
• 44:22
  Will God follow through on his promise? The guarantee of that promise is the Holy Spirit in your life. The Holy Spirit in you reminds you that there will be a day when you are no longer here, but there. And he's whispering it all the time. You're a child of God. You're a child of heaven. You're a child of heaven. This is not your home. This is impermanent and temporary. Don't get too comfortable here. Right? This is not what it's about. Don't forget this is not what it's about. It's bigger and better there.
• 44:52
  Over and over and over to guarantee the deposit, the down payment, sealed with the Holy Spirit. And that's what the Holy Spirit does as a down payment, revealing to us a small fraction of the future riches that belong to us in Christ. He shows us enough of the plan, enough of the process, enough of the wealth of the Almighty that keeps us from going astray. We get to see enough of heaven here on earth.
• 45:21
  To keep from buckling under the load, from doubting our own sonship, from casting off the gospel and returning to the world. Does your heart overflow with praise? And I'll just conclude with this. Verses 3 to 14 in the Greek form one sentence. One sentence. Multiple sentences in the English. In the Greek, one sentence, 202 words long. I counted them today. 202 words.
• 45:51
  That's a run-on sentence. To beat all run-on sentences, if you're ever in English class, you know, English composition over there at Front Range, don't use a 200-word sentence. You will get marked down. But the Apostle Paul does it under inspiration of the Holy Spirit here. 202 words. And it's almost as if you can hear the Apostle's enthusiasm as he writes. Not wanting to pause and take a breath. Like a kid telling a story. Like a little kid, right? And just wanting to go on and on and on. Taking this huge breath and just going.
• 46:22
  And it's like he's saying, man, if that wasn't enough, what about this blessing? What about this one? What about this one? What about this one? Then he just keeps tacking them on. And I love that he never even stops, never pauses to let that blessing strain the chain, be interrupted, uninterrupted all the way through 202 words, not pausing to take a breath. We are a blessed people. Amen. Let us not take those blessings for granted. God, thank you.
• 46:51
  For your word and thank you for this evening. Thank you for the testimony of Tom and Linda Miller. Thank you for their friendship for so many years, well over half of my life. Thank you, Lord, for your grace poured out on this church. Thank you for worship. Thank you for your word. Thank you for Ephesians chapter 1, God. We do ask again for just grace on Samuel and healing and give Isaiah strength as he's undoubtedly picking up more of the load and traveling to see his friend. Lord, we pray that you would heal him. We love you and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• 47:21
  What version are you teaching? ESV. English Standard Version. ESV means different than my ESV. Is that right? No, mine's ASV.