WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.880 I am Matt Coburn. That is Nick Lauer up there in the plaid shirt. We were amalgamated tonight. 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:23.780 Matt Lauer will not be joining us. Oh, it's just good for a laugh, Michelle. It's great. We love it. 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:32.640 So, we are going to be continuing in our series in Ephesians. If you want to turn with me in a few 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:42.159 Bibles to page 976, we're going to be looking at Ephesians chapter 1, verses 11 through 14. 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:48.560 As you're turning there, I did a little bit of research this week. I want to ask a question, 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:54.640 Josh, you might know the answer, but how many people have run the Boston Marathon in this room? 00:00:54.920 --> 00:01:01.160 Anyone? No? Okay. Good. I might get away with this illustration then. All right. So, 00:01:01.680 --> 00:01:10.420 if you know anything about the Boston Marathon, which is one of the better marathons in the world. 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:17.500 So, there is this place about mile 20 that is called Heartbreak Hill. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:26.200 It is only a hill with an elevation of about 90 feet. So, it's not actually as high as some of the 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:35.120 other worst hills in marathons. But it does happen at a fairly high grade, which makes it harder if 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:40.240 you've ever run a marathon. The other thing, and this is where I'm way out of my depth, but my 00:01:40.240 --> 00:01:46.939 understanding is that right around the 20th mile is when your body begins to completely 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:55.200 have used up all of its normal reserves. And it starts drawing energy from places in your body 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:02.439 that it never pulls from before. And so, your body is just, rumor has it from the accounts that I read 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.979 that when you're running the marathon, that's right about the point when you just are like, 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:13.079 I'm about to give up. You're literally stumbling down the road. And when you hit Heartbreak Hill 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:19.620 in that condition, it is so hard to get to the top. Rumor has it that the professionals, 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:25.040 they keep running like they're doing fine. But pretty early on, you start to see the people who 00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:32.820 are just struggling and just fighting to put one foot in front of the other to get up Heartbreak Hill. 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:39.900 One of the neat things that I saw in that is that there are people who camp out on Heartbreak Hill 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:48.620 every April because their job, as they see it, is to help these poor runners get to the top of the 00:02:48.620 --> 00:02:56.099 hill. To keep going and not give up when they hit this really hard point in life. 00:02:56.099 --> 00:03:06.840 They cheer them on and say, you can do it. It's not that far. This is mile 20. You're nearing the end. 00:03:06.939 --> 00:03:15.900 You can do this. And I think that it's not unfair to see that the book of Ephesians is actually written 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:22.519 in some ways for a similar purpose. We've talked about it before. The book of Ephesians in some ways 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:27.920 is a general book about what does it mean to be a Christian and how do we live. But it was striking 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:34.080 to me as I was thinking about this message tonight that in chapter 6, it talks about the battle. 00:03:34.540 --> 00:03:42.180 It talks about the struggle that it is to keep going as a Christian. And in one place, it actually 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:48.879 talks about that there is this great spiritual battle to keep going and that the goal isn't even 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:55.439 to victory and to victory and break through the finish line and to that. But all Paul exhorts 00:03:55.439 --> 00:04:02.280 them to in chapter 6 is to stand. And what he actually says is, so therefore stand firm and 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:13.759 having withstood everything, stand. To keep going when life gets hard. In the face of disappointments, 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:22.920 where it feels like your future has been ripped away from you. In the face of disability or disease, 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:31.500 where your very health and functioning seems to suddenly have flown away from you. In the face 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:38.719 of a disaster, a personal disaster or a natural disaster, when it seems like everything that you 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:46.880 thought was certain and sure has been shaken to the core. In the face of a discouragement that won't 00:04:46.880 --> 00:04:54.240 lift, when you think every day you wake up and you think, today's going to be better. And yet it's not. 00:04:54.780 --> 00:05:06.040 The darkness descends and the heaviness chokes your soul. In the face of these things and many others, 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:14.160 words, part of what the book of Ephesians has to say to us tonight particularly is that the promise 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:22.720 of our future, that is being able to see the finish line and know what is awaiting us, is a part of what 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:31.240 we have as ammunition to cheer one another on. Part of what God has called the church to is to be those 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:40.040 people lined up on Heartbreak Hill, speaking the words of encouragement, reminding them of the God 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:47.600 that they know and what he has done for them, reminding them of the future that awaits at the end 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:49.939 so that they can press on. 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:55.900 This is a basic of Christianity. How do we keep going? 00:05:55.899 --> 00:06:03.739 So we're going to look at our passage. I'm going to read verses 3 through 14. We're going to look especially 00:06:03.739 --> 00:06:10.359 at verses 11 through 14 tonight. So if you want to read along with me and then we'll pray and then we'll dive in. 00:06:13.479 --> 00:06:19.479 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:26.920 spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:36.120 that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:44.100 Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:54.120 blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses 00:06:54.120 --> 00:07:03.220 according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:11.340 the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:20.579 to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:28.299 having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel 00:07:28.299 --> 00:07:36.299 of his will so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:44.860 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:53.160 were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire 00:07:53.160 --> 00:08:01.980 possession of it to the praise of his glory. Lord, I ask as we look at this word that you would 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:11.319 illuminate our minds and, Lord, enliven our hearts, Lord, that we would see the truth of it, and in 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:17.759 seeing that truth, Lord, we would love it and respond in worship, and even as this passage says, 00:08:17.840 --> 00:08:24.980 that we might be to the praise of your glory. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:34.460 Amen. As Paul finishes this incredible section about what God has done for us in Christ, 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:40.700 what God has done, the every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms that he talks about in 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:49.700 verse 3, he now finishes in verses 11 through 14 by primarily looking ahead 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:59.379 and saying that there is something yet to come that you have now already taken hold of. And in fact, 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:05.200 he emphasizes here the role of the Holy Spirit, that God has given us the Holy Spirit 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:15.920 so that we might know that what is to come is ours in Christ, that we have this future that is of such 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:26.219 incredible and surpassing worth that we can keep going. So let's look at this. Let's look at this 00:09:26.219 --> 00:09:32.199 future and the way that he lays it out, the way that he unpacks it. Look with me in verse 11. 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:40.579 In him, and in him, the him here is talking about Christ. It's always about Christ in this section, 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:49.400 I believe. And so in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to 00:09:49.400 --> 00:09:54.700 the purpose of him who works all things out according to the counsel of his will. So this is 00:09:54.700 --> 00:10:01.440 the first thing that Paul wants us to see, is that what we have waiting for us, because of the salvation, 00:10:01.780 --> 00:10:07.180 all the things that you see in verses 6 through 9, we have redemption. That is, we've been bought back 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:13.079 out of slavery to sin. That we have the forgiveness of our trespasses, that we no longer stand guilty 00:10:13.079 --> 00:10:22.620 before God. That he has lavished on us this mercy and grace and this salvation from sin. That he has made us 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:30.419 his own by doing all these things. He now says, in him, we have obtained an inheritance. 00:10:31.219 --> 00:10:36.919 For all who are in Christ now, there is now a future waiting for us. 00:10:37.179 --> 00:10:43.839 That means that we are a part of God's family. This is what you see back in chapter, or in verse 4 and 5, 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:51.399 right? He says, you've been predestined to be adopted as his sons. That is, that he has brought you into 00:10:51.399 --> 00:11:00.759 his family, which means that you now are the beneficiaries of the riches of being a part of his household. 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:08.960 You are the one who will receive the blessings of being in God's household forever. 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:18.480 And that's an incredible thing for us. Because what it means is that it means we never have to be 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:27.500 worried again or uncertain about who we are. Because if we have this inheritance as a part of God's house, 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:32.820 we know whose we are. We are sons and daughters of God. 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:40.000 And the inheritance that we have is like the inheritance of the firstborn. 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:45.240 That is, we get all the fullness of it. We don't get the scraps of God's kingdom. 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:53.039 We get the fullness of it because we become, in Christ, who is the firstborn in the house of God, 00:11:53.460 --> 00:12:04.740 we become co-heirs, as it says in Galatians. Ones who receive all the fullness of being in God's house. 00:12:04.740 --> 00:12:12.940 So we know who we, we know that we, where we belong. We know who we are. We know that God is going to 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:22.840 provide for us. If God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And this is now to be 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:31.180 ours. This inheritance of being in his household is now ours. We know that there is no good thing that 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:39.039 God will withhold from us. Now we know in our present circumstances that it feels like that, 00:12:39.099 --> 00:12:44.919 doesn't it, sometimes? God, are you really going to be good? God, are you going to abandon me? Or are 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:50.639 you really going to carry me through? Can you really provide for me in the particulars of my circumstances? 00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:59.139 The fact that we have this inheritance that in Peter is described as imperishable, unfading, 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:07.720 and kept in heaven for us. This inheritance is a glorious thing. And it means that as we are part 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:16.960 of his household, we are recipients of, above all things, his love. The Father bestows his love on us 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:25.779 through the Son. What a glorious thing it is that we have this inheritance. And I want you to see, 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:33.179 too, how Paul unpacks it. Because he says, we have obtained this inheritance having been predestined 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:40.100 according to the purpose of him who works all things out according to the counsel of his will. 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:49.319 If you are a believer here tonight, you need to know that salvation did not come to you 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:58.540 by a happy circumstance or by a lucky accident. I'll bet for those of us who would claim to be a 00:13:58.540 --> 00:14:04.580 follower of Christ in this room, if we sat down, we could talk about all the crazy stories, all the 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:12.900 remarkable circumstances, all the amazing individuals and ways that God, the diverse ways that God has 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:19.459 drawn us to himself, drawn us to himself, drawn us to the place where recognizing our sin and our need 00:14:19.459 --> 00:14:27.480 for a savior, we believed in him. But friends, look at what this says. None of that was an accident. 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:36.899 God has worked all of this out according to his will for you. From the beginning, God chose you. 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:45.159 If you want to marinate on that, go to our website. Go back two weeks ago to the beginning, 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:49.340 chapter three, or verse three through five. I preached a whole sermon on what it meant for us 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:55.360 to be chosen. I don't want to rehash that. But what I do want to say is it's not a mistake that you 00:14:55.360 --> 00:15:00.419 are here. And if you're here tonight and you're exploring Christianity, you're wondering about it, 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:06.559 if you're thinking, what is this? What is this Jesus thing all about? You're not here by accident 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:13.479 either. God has drawn you here tonight so that you might hear more of what God has done for you and 00:15:13.479 --> 00:15:22.219 Jesus. I pray that God will give you ears to hear and that you will be able to see what he has done. 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:30.739 So the inheritance that we have is rooted in God's plan for us. Secondly, I want you to look at verses 00:15:30.740 --> 00:15:37.060 12 and 13. And this is a very cool thing because it's not only that, but it is for all people. 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:43.279 I don't know if you've ever been in a circumstance when you walked into a room and you thought, 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:54.820 do I belong here? Is this, am I really, like, am I, am I up to snuff? And it could be for all 00:15:54.820 --> 00:16:04.220 sorts of reasons. I might walk in as a woman to a room full of men and think, wow, do I belong here? 00:16:04.540 --> 00:16:10.900 I might walk in as a Caucasian into a room full of people of color and think, do I belong here? I 00:16:10.900 --> 00:16:16.020 might walk in to a room of people who go to that big university over there and think, am I smart 00:16:16.020 --> 00:16:24.060 enough to be here? Is it okay? Because I don't have that. You know, when I was in ninth grade, I tried to 00:16:24.059 --> 00:16:29.879 join a traveling soccer team and I did it, but I remember living that whole fall with the sense of, 00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:33.959 like, do I belong here? Am I good enough to actually make this team and to stay on it? 00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:43.319 I'm sure you've felt that in some way. You know, one of the remarkable things about God's grace 00:16:43.319 --> 00:16:50.579 is that it is a welcome invitation to all. Let me show you why I'm talking about this because 00:16:50.580 --> 00:16:57.340 in verse 12, Paul makes a very interesting statement. He says, so that we who were the 00:16:57.340 --> 00:17:03.300 first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. Now, when I first read that, I thought, 00:17:03.400 --> 00:17:07.539 oh, that's nice. That's all believers, right? Because we've all put our hope in Christ. 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:12.480 But then, interestingly, do a little, if you're an English major, look at the pronouns for a section, 00:17:13.019 --> 00:17:18.799 second, right? In verses 11 and 12, he's talking about we. And then verse 13, he makes this 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:28.119 interesting shift. And you also, when you heard and believed this message. And it's a fascinating 00:17:28.119 --> 00:17:33.619 shift. And I think, because we'll see it at the end of chapter 2 and chapter 3, that Paul's going 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:41.039 to make this a very big deal. In the progress of history and how God has worked in history, in the 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:47.680 Old Testament times before Christ, God primarily worked through a particular nation, the Jewish 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:53.880 people, the descendants of Abraham. And they were his special nation that he called out to be his own. 00:17:54.820 --> 00:18:04.700 And he leaves bountiful hints that his goal is never limited to just those people. That his goal 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:11.700 is always to include people from outside of that little nation and that little tribe. But then when 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:17.019 we get to the New Testament, there's this remarkable thing that happens. Because Jesus blows the doors 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:25.460 open. And what you see is the fullness of God's plan. That his salvation isn't just for this people. 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:37.039 He's not just a tribal God. He is a God for all people. And so, the first to believe in Christ were the 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:43.159 Jews who heard and listened to Christ during his earthly ministry in the very beginning of the 00:18:43.159 --> 00:18:47.839 church. And you see this pattern throughout the New Testament that there's a sense of first to the 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:55.200 Jew, then to the Gentile. And yet, this was not a priority of value. It was a priority of chronology. 00:18:55.200 --> 00:19:04.900 What God is saying is, no, my grace is for everyone. There is no one. There is no race, no color, 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:13.980 no gender, no intellectual ability or background, no financial need. There is no human calculus 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:24.640 that can preclude us from the invitation of the gospel and from the welcome of God the Father to those 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:32.060 who believe in him. And we see this because in Revelation at the end, when we see a picture in the book of 00:19:32.060 --> 00:19:38.040 Revelation of what God's people gathered around the throne will be, he says it will be people from every 00:19:38.040 --> 00:19:49.180 tongue and tribe and nation. And so, friends, if you've ever wondered, do I belong in God's family? 00:19:49.180 --> 00:20:00.660 Friends, friends, know that there is nothing, there's no human characteristic that keeps you apart from that. 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:13.700 The common qualifier is that we who have believed in or we who have hoped in Christ, the one requisite, 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:22.700 the one prerequisite for those to come into God's kingdom is to recognize that they are sinners in 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:32.340 need of a Savior, that they are lost without God, that in themselves and in this fallen world that we live in, 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:41.080 we need a salvation that comes from beyond ourselves. We can never do it on our own. We can never be good 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:47.199 enough. We can never perform well enough. We could never do enough church activities. Nothing we can do 00:20:47.199 --> 00:20:58.480 can overcome the power of sin and death in this world. But God has sent one who can, Jesus. 00:21:00.179 --> 00:21:07.119 And by his perfect life, living a life without sin, and by his death, therefore offered, not because of his 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:12.739 own sin, but his death offered on our behalf, and because of his resurrection from the dead, showing 00:21:12.739 --> 00:21:20.839 that sin and death had no power over him, and that he's now a risen Savior and a living God who is able 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:30.139 to offer all who come to him in repentance and faith, he's able to give them forgiveness of sins and life 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:43.360 now and eternal with him. Friends, this is all that God wants. From every tongue and tribe and nation, 00:21:43.780 --> 00:21:50.820 from every place, from every corner of New Haven, from every part of Connecticut, to the ends of the earth, 00:21:50.819 --> 00:22:02.639 this is what God has given us. What a mercy it is that God would include us in his people. What a great God he is. 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.059 Thirdly, look at me in verses 13 and 14. 00:22:08.879 --> 00:22:16.659 The inheritance is rooted in God's plan. It is inclusive of all people. Thirdly, it is marked by 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:23.360 the Spirit of God. When Nick preached on verse 3 a couple weeks ago, he pointed out the fact that this 00:22:23.360 --> 00:22:28.500 section from 3 to 14 has almost a Trinitarian shape. 00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:32.300 That the first part, verses 3 through 5, is kind of about the work of the Father, 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:36.000 and then 6 through 9, or 6 through 10, is about the work of the Son, 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:38.960 Jesus, and then here we see 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:41.259 the work of the Spirit 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:44.700 that God has given, the Holy Spirit. 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:47.259 Look with me again. Let's read it. 00:22:47.340 --> 00:22:49.559 In him also you, when you 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:53.240 heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:54.420 and believed in him, 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.000 you were sealed with the promised 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:59.380 Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:01.059 of our inheritance 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:02.640 until we acquire 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:04.200 possession of it. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.039 There are two images here of what 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:09.080 the Holy Spirit does. There's a much 00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:11.100 broader theology of the Holy Spirit. 00:23:11.100 --> 00:23:13.039 The third person of the Trinity, 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:15.279 the very person of God, 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.339 who comes and dwells within 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:19.420 those who have believed in Christ. 00:23:20.899 --> 00:23:22.399 But here are two images 00:23:22.399 --> 00:23:25.579 to give us hope as we press on in this race. 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:27.559 First of all, he is a seal. 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:30.399 Now, I used to think 00:23:30.399 --> 00:23:32.480 that the best image for this 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:33.639 was like a wax seal. 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:35.379 I don't know if you've ever seen, like, in the old fashion, 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:38.259 you have these scrolls, and they drip a glob of wax on it, 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:40.319 and then you push a seal in it, 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:42.259 and that would keep the scroll closed, 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:43.839 and it would describe who it's from. 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.079 And I thought, oh, that's what God has done with us. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:47.980 But interestingly, as I studied 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:50.059 this week for this, I realized 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.859 that actually, a lot of the 00:23:51.859 --> 00:23:53.720 commentators say it's actually more like 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:55.640 a brand. Think of the 00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:57.700 cattle out west, right? 00:23:58.019 --> 00:23:59.900 And when 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:01.700 you've got free-range cattle, you've got 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:03.680 lots of cattle, and sometimes they even mix together. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:04.980 Well, how do you tell them apart? 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:08.380 Well, because the cattle man has taken his brand, 00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:11.019 and apart from the painful 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:13.099 and potentially damaging 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:14.160 aspect of this, 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.519 it's a mark that says, 00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:17.519 this one is mine. 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:19.720 It's a sense of ownership. 00:24:21.360 --> 00:24:23.740 And that's what God has done with us. 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:25.559 By giving us the Holy Spirit 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:27.579 to dwell in us, 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:28.799 He is saying to us, 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:30.500 this one is mine. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:34.960 And He's given it indelibly. 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:36.980 That's why 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:38.299 you would brand a cattle, 00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:40.099 because you can't erase it. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:41.680 You can't rub it out. 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:43.200 You can't change it. 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:46.720 And God has given 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:49.180 similarly an indelible mark 00:24:49.180 --> 00:24:51.460 on His people. 00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:53.339 And He's done that 00:24:53.339 --> 00:24:55.460 by the Holy Spirit 00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:56.759 coming and dwelling 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:57.980 within Him. 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.700 The second thing, 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:04.920 as we see further on in verse 13, 00:25:05.620 --> 00:25:06.779 or at the beginning of 14, 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:07.259 I'm sorry, 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:09.380 is that He's also the guarantee. 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:11.980 Your footnote says, 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:13.740 this is like a down payment. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.900 If you've ever bought a house, 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:16.440 right, 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.160 part of what you have to do 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:19.559 is you have to give enough money 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:20.660 as a down payment 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:21.799 to say, 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:24.039 I can buy this. 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:25.660 I can actually do this. 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:27.019 And this is a guarantee 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:30.099 that the person who is selling it 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:34.219 will be able to weather this financially. 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:37.240 Maybe some of you, 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.679 I see a few of you 00:25:38.679 --> 00:25:39.839 who may be college parents, 00:25:40.679 --> 00:25:41.819 have you ever co-signed 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:42.859 on a college loan 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:44.319 to be the guarantor 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:46.000 of that college loan? 00:25:46.159 --> 00:25:47.379 That means that someone else 00:25:47.379 --> 00:25:48.259 is getting the money, 00:25:48.379 --> 00:25:49.399 but you're signing off 00:25:49.399 --> 00:25:49.819 to say, 00:25:49.879 --> 00:25:50.919 if He doesn't pay it back, 00:25:51.099 --> 00:25:52.279 I guarantee that 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:53.399 I will pay you back. 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:57.240 What does this mean? 00:25:58.060 --> 00:25:59.220 It means for us, 00:25:59.340 --> 00:26:00.400 the Holy Spirit 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.820 is the one that God 00:26:02.820 --> 00:26:04.220 has given to us 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:06.320 to guarantee 00:26:06.320 --> 00:26:09.540 that what He has done in us 00:26:09.540 --> 00:26:12.980 will be brought to a completion. 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:15.400 That as He is calling us 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:16.560 to Himself and saying, 00:26:16.800 --> 00:26:17.580 you are my people, 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.600 you are my children, 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:19.940 you are now a part 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:20.840 of my household, 00:26:21.040 --> 00:26:21.820 He is saying, 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:23.340 I'm giving you the Holy Spirit 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:24.720 so that you know 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.740 that your inheritance 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:27.819 is secure 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:29.019 and is certain 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:31.359 and can never be taken from you. 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:35.359 And this is what the Holy Spirit 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:37.759 is given to us for. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.259 God takes responsibility 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:44.339 for His own 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:46.199 to make it to the end. 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:48.379 God takes responsibility 00:26:48.379 --> 00:26:49.679 to say, 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:51.319 I will give you, 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:52.519 my Holy Spirit, 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:55.220 so that you will know 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:57.660 that I have made, 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.599 that I have guaranteeing 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:02.119 that you will make it 00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:03.559 to the end. 00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:05.639 And of course, 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:06.440 this is part of what 00:27:06.440 --> 00:27:07.420 the Holy Spirit does, 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:07.799 isn't it? 00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:09.480 Not only is the Holy Spirit 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:10.339 one who comes 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:11.319 and gives us 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:12.460 a new spiritual life, 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.319 He is the one 00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:14.980 who gives us gifts 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:16.700 of service in the church. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.480 He is the one 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:19.139 who enlivens our souls 00:27:19.139 --> 00:27:20.299 so that we can understand 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:21.259 the word of God 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:22.619 so that we may be able 00:27:22.619 --> 00:27:23.440 to run the race 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:24.159 with perseverance. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:25.059 He gives strength. 00:27:25.159 --> 00:27:26.200 There are so many ways 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:27.619 in which the Holy Spirit 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:28.579 living in us 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:30.240 ministers to us 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:31.200 and enables us 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.139 to do this. 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:35.839 But fundamentally, 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:37.159 what Paul is saying here 00:27:37.159 --> 00:27:38.359 is that all of that 00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:39.419 is an outworking 00:27:39.419 --> 00:27:40.919 of this guarantee 00:27:40.919 --> 00:27:42.220 that God has given 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.659 to us. 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:47.960 a remarkable thing. 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:53.759 And then finally, 00:27:54.259 --> 00:27:56.620 we've seen it twice 00:27:56.620 --> 00:27:57.620 in this passage. 00:27:57.820 --> 00:27:59.060 We've seen it three times 00:27:59.060 --> 00:28:00.240 in the larger section. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:02.759 We see it at the end of 12 00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:04.100 and at the end of 14. 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:08.100 What God has done for us 00:28:08.100 --> 00:28:09.660 is He's done all of this 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:10.940 so that we might be 00:28:10.940 --> 00:28:12.000 to the praise 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:14.160 of His glory. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:17.160 Friends, 00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:19.420 I'd love for you 00:28:19.420 --> 00:28:20.320 to spend your fall 00:28:20.320 --> 00:28:22.200 meditating on this. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:23.279 That this is what God 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.039 has called you to 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:24.600 in Christ. 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:26.519 That you might be 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.660 to the praise 00:28:27.660 --> 00:28:28.720 of His glory. 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:30.360 Because what God 00:28:30.360 --> 00:28:30.960 is doing 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:31.840 when He does this 00:28:31.840 --> 00:28:33.880 is He is unseating 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:36.100 the very center 00:28:36.100 --> 00:28:38.100 of what our sin nature does. 00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:39.580 If you go back 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:40.699 to the Garden of Eden, 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:43.919 when the temptation 00:28:43.919 --> 00:28:45.740 came to Adam and Eve, 00:28:46.199 --> 00:28:47.000 it was, 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:48.879 you can be 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:51.039 independent from God. 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:53.399 You can be your own God 00:28:53.399 --> 00:28:54.240 like Him. 00:28:54.439 --> 00:28:55.619 You can be God 00:28:55.619 --> 00:28:57.460 of your own world. 00:28:57.619 --> 00:28:58.599 You can be 00:28:58.599 --> 00:28:59.500 the one 00:28:59.500 --> 00:29:00.559 who's at the pinnacle 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:03.879 of all that is. 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:04.980 You can be 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:05.659 the center 00:29:05.659 --> 00:29:07.000 of your universe 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:07.900 around which 00:29:07.900 --> 00:29:08.980 everything else 00:29:08.980 --> 00:29:10.640 orbits 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:12.680 around the gravity 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:13.539 of your center. 00:29:14.680 --> 00:29:15.920 And when Adam and Eve 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:16.839 sinned, 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:17.859 and what we do 00:29:17.859 --> 00:29:18.420 every day, 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:19.240 and we know this 00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:20.460 because we're darn it all, 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.579 we're just plain selfish. 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:23.180 We just think 00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:24.059 it's about us. 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:28.380 And what God 00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:28.900 is doing 00:29:28.900 --> 00:29:29.759 in our salvation 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:30.380 is He is 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:31.640 unseating that. 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:33.740 And He's freeing us up 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:35.500 from that. 00:29:36.380 --> 00:29:37.599 And He's putting Himself 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:39.359 back in the center 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:41.200 where He belongs. 00:29:41.400 --> 00:29:42.620 And He's putting us 00:29:42.620 --> 00:29:44.460 back where we belong. 00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:46.779 Orbiting around 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:47.579 the gravity 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:49.000 of His glory 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:50.400 and His greatness 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:51.799 and His goodness. 00:29:52.620 --> 00:29:54.460 And all of our lives, 00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:56.359 all of our relationships, 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.059 all of our career decisions, 00:29:58.440 --> 00:29:59.880 all of our daily 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:01.819 interactions with people, 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:02.980 all of our thoughts 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:04.179 and our private world, 00:30:04.379 --> 00:30:05.980 all of these things 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:07.000 are meant to be 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.159 reoriented 00:30:08.159 --> 00:30:09.319 around this new 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:10.359 center of gravity. 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:14.139 That we might be 00:30:14.139 --> 00:30:15.019 to the praise 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:16.399 of His glory 00:30:16.399 --> 00:30:18.279 in all that we do. 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:19.960 That God 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:21.079 has saved us 00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:21.740 from, 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:23.299 in fact, 00:30:23.439 --> 00:30:23.819 the unbearable 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:24.839 burden 00:30:24.839 --> 00:30:25.799 of being the center 00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:27.019 of our own universe. 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:28.960 And put us back 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:29.939 where we belong 00:30:29.940 --> 00:30:31.240 so that we find 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:32.960 in great joy 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:33.680 and freedom 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:36.120 that we weren't made 00:30:36.120 --> 00:30:37.320 for our own glory, 00:30:37.900 --> 00:30:38.680 but we were made 00:30:38.680 --> 00:30:39.360 for His. 00:30:40.320 --> 00:30:41.380 And as we find 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:41.840 ourselves 00:30:41.840 --> 00:30:43.240 focused on Him 00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:44.559 and His glory 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:45.400 and His greatness, 00:30:45.880 --> 00:30:46.680 let me just stop 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:47.059 for a minute 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:47.500 and make sure 00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:48.519 we define our words. 00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:50.160 The praise of His glory, 00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:51.160 His glory 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:52.700 is the display 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:53.420 of 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:56.360 His nature, 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:57.460 His character, 00:30:57.580 --> 00:30:58.320 and His works. 00:30:58.319 --> 00:30:59.299 It is, 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:01.079 the glory of something 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:02.240 is when you see 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:03.259 its characteristics 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:04.099 and you see 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:05.399 the value of them. 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:09.539 What God wants 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:10.299 to do with us 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:11.019 is for us 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:11.619 to see 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:14.039 the unparalleled, 00:31:14.579 --> 00:31:15.700 unmatched 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:18.000 glory of God 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:19.559 in the work 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:20.519 that He has done 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:21.859 in saving us 00:31:21.859 --> 00:31:23.079 from sin. 00:31:23.539 --> 00:31:24.519 And when we put 00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:25.559 Him in that center, 00:31:25.939 --> 00:31:26.740 and when we find 00:31:26.740 --> 00:31:27.599 ourselves orbiting 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:28.460 around Him 00:31:28.460 --> 00:31:29.359 and making Him 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:31.140 the point of our lives, 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:32.519 do you know 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:33.319 what we find? 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:35.740 There's glory for us. 00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:39.440 There's glory 00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:40.500 that we are able 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:41.920 to reflect Him 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:43.539 and be for Him. 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:44.299 And that's what 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:45.259 Paul will talk about 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:46.019 in the second half 00:31:46.019 --> 00:31:46.779 of Ephesians. 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:48.079 The first half 00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:48.480 is going to be 00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:49.160 this is what God 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:49.779 has done for you 00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:50.720 and this is all that. 00:31:50.779 --> 00:31:51.599 And then the second half 00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:53.519 is so live like it. 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:55.859 Live in such a way 00:31:55.859 --> 00:31:57.879 that you are 00:31:57.879 --> 00:31:58.479 to the praise 00:31:58.479 --> 00:31:59.079 of His glory 00:31:59.079 --> 00:31:59.939 and as you do that 00:31:59.939 --> 00:32:01.159 you will reflect Him 00:32:01.159 --> 00:32:02.959 and in your character 00:32:02.959 --> 00:32:04.179 and in your actions 00:32:04.179 --> 00:32:05.240 and in your priorities 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:08.679 and in your relationships. 00:32:10.919 --> 00:32:12.059 You will be 00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:12.759 to the praise 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:13.519 of His glory. 00:32:13.959 --> 00:32:15.059 Both the praise 00:32:15.059 --> 00:32:15.740 that wells up 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:16.679 in your own heart 00:32:16.679 --> 00:32:17.740 and the praise 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:18.299 of others 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:19.500 who see your life 00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:20.599 and they will not 00:32:20.599 --> 00:32:21.599 see how great 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:22.719 Jonathan Lee is 00:32:22.719 --> 00:32:23.839 or Greg Hendrickson, 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:26.119 but they will see 00:32:26.119 --> 00:32:27.439 how great God is. 00:32:31.379 --> 00:32:32.659 And what a great thing 00:32:32.659 --> 00:32:33.359 that is 00:32:33.359 --> 00:32:35.019 because that's what 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:35.859 actually we were 00:32:35.859 --> 00:32:36.679 created for. 00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:42.259 This is what 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:43.399 the Westminster Confession 00:32:43.399 --> 00:32:43.919 says 00:32:43.919 --> 00:32:45.179 when it says 00:32:45.179 --> 00:32:45.759 what is the 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:47.759 primary purpose 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.419 of mankind? 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:49.599 The chief end 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:50.839 is the old language. 00:32:51.379 --> 00:32:52.339 What is the chief end 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:52.839 of man, 00:32:53.139 --> 00:32:54.119 of all mankind, 00:32:54.859 --> 00:32:57.899 is that all of us, 00:32:58.059 --> 00:32:58.899 men and women, 00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:01.839 would enjoy God 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:03.399 and glorify Him 00:33:03.399 --> 00:33:04.419 forever. 00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:05.819 That we would 00:33:05.819 --> 00:33:06.859 not only see 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:07.559 His greatness, 00:33:07.939 --> 00:33:08.740 but that it would 00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:10.359 bring us great joy 00:33:10.359 --> 00:33:11.220 to see Him 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:12.419 as He truly is. 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:15.439 And then in doing so, 00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:16.059 He would 00:33:16.059 --> 00:33:18.339 glorify Himself 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:20.240 through us. 00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:23.959 So friends, 00:33:24.059 --> 00:33:25.000 this is the inheritance. 00:33:25.259 --> 00:33:26.139 This is what waits 00:33:26.139 --> 00:33:26.799 for us. 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:29.079 All these things 00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:30.059 that God has done 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:30.459 for us, 00:33:30.679 --> 00:33:31.859 the fullness of them 00:33:31.859 --> 00:33:32.859 is still there. 00:33:34.659 --> 00:33:35.659 And whether you're 00:33:35.659 --> 00:33:36.819 cruising at mile 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:38.699 25.9 00:33:38.699 --> 00:33:39.980 or whether you are 00:33:39.980 --> 00:33:41.240 wrestling at mile 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:42.559 20.4 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:43.579 and you're in the 00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:44.480 middle of heartbreak 00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:44.799 hell, 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:46.919 remember these things 00:33:46.920 --> 00:33:48.880 and press on. 00:33:49.840 --> 00:33:50.580 Let's pray. 00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:56.460 Lord, we praise You. 00:33:57.380 --> 00:33:58.060 We praise You 00:33:58.060 --> 00:33:58.900 for what You have done 00:33:58.900 --> 00:33:59.840 for us in Christ. 00:34:00.820 --> 00:34:01.600 Lord, we pray You 00:34:01.600 --> 00:34:02.300 to help us. 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:03.779 Help us to 00:34:03.779 --> 00:34:04.800 take hold 00:34:04.800 --> 00:34:05.820 of these things, 00:34:06.340 --> 00:34:07.400 to hold fast 00:34:07.400 --> 00:34:07.779 to them 00:34:07.779 --> 00:34:08.300 and cling 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:08.900 to them. 00:34:10.680 --> 00:34:11.639 Lord, help us 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:12.700 to run the race 00:34:12.700 --> 00:34:14.099 set before us 00:34:14.099 --> 00:34:14.920 with perseverance. 00:34:16.179 --> 00:34:16.779 Help us 00:34:16.779 --> 00:34:17.940 to fix our eyes 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:18.559 on Jesus, 00:34:19.319 --> 00:34:20.599 the One 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:21.299 who started 00:34:21.299 --> 00:34:23.819 our faith, 00:34:24.860 --> 00:34:25.259 the One 00:34:25.259 --> 00:34:25.759 who will bring 00:34:25.759 --> 00:34:26.480 it to completion. 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.460 God, help us 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:31.079 to take hold 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:31.860 of this inheritance 00:34:31.860 --> 00:34:33.319 and to carry it 00:34:33.319 --> 00:34:33.920 with us. 00:34:34.980 --> 00:34:35.759 Lord, we thank You 00:34:35.759 --> 00:34:36.299 for the gift 00:34:36.299 --> 00:34:37.219 of the Holy Spirit 00:34:37.219 --> 00:34:38.719 who is a seal 00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:39.519 and a guarantee. 00:34:40.539 --> 00:34:41.539 Lord, that the work 00:34:41.539 --> 00:34:42.299 You have begun 00:34:42.300 --> 00:34:43.440 in us, Lord, 00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:44.340 You will bring it 00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:44.940 to completion 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:46.180 in the day 00:34:46.180 --> 00:34:46.960 of Christ Jesus. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:48.820 We pray this 00:34:48.820 --> 00:34:49.640 in Jesus' name. 00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:50.720 Amen.