July 22, 2012 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.

July 21,22,23, 2012 Pentecost 8 Sermon by Pastor Paul G. Eckert


Sermon text - Ephesians 1:2-14



1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ. 3 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. 4 For he chose us in him before the

creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus

Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - 6 to the praise

of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he

loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to

his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into

effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment - to bring

all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even

Christ. 11 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, 12 in order that we, who

were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his

glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard

the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed,

you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the

redemption of those who are God’s possession -to the praise of his

glory.

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I quite regularly close my sermons with these words of Scripture:

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will

guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Yes, there is a

peace from God that indeed transcends, surpasses all understanding.

But understand it or not, thank God He gives it. In Christ, in His

forgiveness of our sins, it is ours. We believe it.

Our sermon text talks about that peace. But it also talks about

other mysteries of God’s will that transcend our understanding. One is

the Trinity, that our God is one God yet three persons. Note how our

text refers to “God our Father” and refers to Him also as the “Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ” and refers to “the promised Holy Spirit.”

This transcends our understanding. But we believe in one true God

who is Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

A second mystery transcending our understanding is predestination,

God from eternity choosing us to be His own. Our text says, “he

chose us in him before the creation of the world,” “he predestined

us,” and “having been predestined.” While natural reasoning may

question this, we need to remember that God has given us this mystery

not for us to try to fit it into our little human minds, but to comfort us.

Keeping that in mind, let us now consider our entire text and in faith

Marvel at what has been revealed 1) About God The Father’s

Plan, 2) About God’s Son’s Fulfillment; and 3) About The Holy

Spirit’s Guarantee.

MARVEL AT WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED:

I ABOUT GOD THE FATHER’S PLAN (2-6)

1. His plan starts out with grace and peace. (2)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ.

a) Our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned. That passed sin on

to all of us, including the results of sin, namely the problems sin

brings into our daily lives, and finally death that should lead to

a deserved eternal separation from God’s glory.

b) But instead God’s plan of grace, undeserved favor, and of

peace, peace that transcends understanding, is proclaimed

“from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. These blessings come from the heavenly realms. (3)

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.

a) The spiritual blessings of grace and peace did not come from a

Washington D.C., or from political parties coming up with a

many-paged plan. These blessings come from “the heavenly

realms.” They come from the plan God the Father drew up.

b) That plan is not like a plan that might try to guarantee medical

blessings but cannot do a thing about death and hell. Instead

it has to do with spiritual blessings, with God’s grace and peace

that start now and cannot be stopped by bad health or death.

3. That brings to us a marvelous mystery. (4-5)

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 to be adopted

as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure

and will --

a) God wanted a large family. Jesus, God’s holy Son, one with

the Father from eternity, was to have adopted siblings. This

God planned. Before He created this world and people, God

chose us sinners “to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

b) Why? It was not because of our doing, thinking or deserving,

but “in accordance with his pleasure and will ---.”

4. Praise God for this marvelous plan. (4b-6)

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons 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.

a) This plan, to be God the Father’s children, God freely gives.

b) This adoption is “in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

c) Praise God the Father for His plan, for “his glorious grace.”

II ABOUT GOD’S SON’S FULFILLMENT (5-10)

1. Predestination does not stand by itself. (5a)

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons --

a) Nothing in us brought about our predestination.

b) Predestination comes from outside of us, not because we were

good but because God is good. In His love He predestined us.

2. It totally involves God’s Son. (5-7)

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons 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. In him we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace --

a) Sin would seem to have ruined God’s eternal plan.. After sin

came there were no holy children to choose for God’s family.

But God’s plan remained firm, did not change.

b) So what was God’s plan? It totally revolved around Jesus. In

His love for the world God gave His one and only eternal Son,

gave Him to redeem us by his perfect life and innocent death in

our place, gave Him “through his blood” to give “forgiveness

of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

3. This is what God has revealed. (7-9)

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. And he made known to

us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he

purposed in Christ, --

a) This mystery of God’s will we could never know by ourselves.

b) Praise God for making this mystery of His will known to us!

4. This is a fulfilled plan. (9b-10)

-- which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the

times will have reached their fulfillment - to bring all things in

heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

a) From the very beginning God promised a Savior. As years of

time passed, He guided history to fulfill His promises and plan.

b) Finally His promises reached the time of their fulfillment in

history when His Son died on the cross, arose from the dead,

ascended to heaven with His saving mission accomplished.

c) Now Christ reigns as the victorious Head of the Church, of

you and me and all believers, His adopted brothers and sisters.

III ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GUARANTEE (11-14)

1. We think of God’s plan in history. (11-12)

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 hope in

Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

a) With the “we” let us think here of the people of Israel, the

special nation God chose to bring His Son into this world.

b) What a privilege! But God’s will was not only for them.

2. By the Word God’s plan reached out to all. (13a)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of

truth, the gospel of your salvation.

a) The “you also” doesn’t refer only to the people of Ephesus.

b) It refers to all nationalities. The Gospel of salvation is for all.

3. Our assurance is in the gift of faith. (13)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of

truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were

marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, --

a) Each of you also, think of how God made you His believing

child in Baptism, how He strengthens your faith as you hear

and read His Word, as you receive the Lord’s Supper regularly.

b) Here I ask each of you also: Do you truly see yourself as a

sinner and truly believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin? I’m

going to repeat that: Do you truly see yourself as a sinner and

truly believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin? Then you

have the Holy Spirit! Do you come to church not just to

come but because you believe Jesus is worthy of your worship?

Do you daily want to live a Christian life because you want to

glorify your Savior with your behavior? Yes, do you not only

with words claim to be a Christian, but really in your heart have

faith in Jesus as your Savior? Then you have the Holy Spirit!

4. Here is our guarantee. (13b-14)

Having 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.

a) It is the Holy Spirit who through the Word gives us faith.

b) That Spirit-given faith is our guarantee that we as believers

in Jesus are children of God, siblings of Jesus our Savior.

c) And God’s predestination tells us that the Holy Spirit’s

guarantee of our inheritance will not be broken. All who

believe in Jesus will be a part of His family in heavenly glory.



MARVEL AT WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED: About God

The Father’s Plan; About God’s Son’s Fulfillment; About The Holy

Spirit’s Guarantee. “And the peace of God, which transcends all

understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ

Jesus.”