Sermon Notes: Ephesians 1:11-14 – Safe
These are the notes of a sermon preached by Andy Evans on the morning of the 18 October 2009 at Firwood Church. Click here to stream or download the sermon audio.
Ephesians 1:3-14
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11In him 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, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
1. INTRODUCTION
a. To the saints who are in Ephesus
The Apostle Paul first visited the city of Ephesus in the Autumn of AD 52 and, having briefly contended for the gospel in the Synagogue, was called away by the Holy Spirit to minister in Antioch.
In the Autumn of AD 53, Paul returned to Ephesus and spent two and a half years preaching the gospel, discipling new believers, training leaders and planting churches. By the time Paul left the city (in the Spring of AD 56) the gospel had spread with such power that Luke is able to write that,
[…] all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:10).
As we read Acts and Paul’s letters to Timothy (Timothy was based in Ephesus) it is clear that Paul’s relationship with the church in Ephesus is particularly close. The somewhat impersonal tone of the letter has confused commentators and leads us to ask what Paul intends in writing this letter to a new church plant struggling to live out the gospel in a pagan culture.
b. What does Paul intend in writing this letter
i. ‘In him’ (v. 11)
Paul begins this letter with a great sentence (verses 3 through to 14) densely packed with weighty doctrine. Paul unfolds God’s glorious activity in securing salvation and reveals that God was so at work even before the foundation of the world choosing (predestining) a people on whom he would bestow every spiritual blessing (v. 3-6). Paul then goes on to demonstrate the centrality of Christ Jesus to all God’s plans for creation. It is through Christ Jesus and his work on the cross that God has poured out every spiritual blessing, namely, redemption, forgiveness and extravagant grace (v. 6-8). And, in the fullness of time, a day will come in which all things will be united under Christ Jesus (v. 9-10).
Now this is all true, but the question we must ask is why does Paul begin his letter to a fledgling church in this way? What is his intention? What does he hope to achieve?
Paul’s first and primary purpose is that these great truths must result in praise. This is important, because the opening of this letter is Paul’s great hymn of praise. Paul thus begins,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… (Ephesians 1:3)
Paul’s hope is that men and women would see the greatness of God in and through salvation (v. 17-20) and his expectation is that revelation will result in praise. The church then and today must be characterised by an overwhelming sense of gratitude which necessarily overflows as praise.
This must be so because God’s activity in creation and effecting salvation is ultimately purposed to display his glory and bring forth praise. Paul is clear, God chose us that we might be to the praise of his glory (v. 14). Moreover, God’s intentions are more specific still; he intends that this praise be focused upon a specific aspect of his glory, namely, his grace. We were saved ‘to the praise of his glorious grace’ (v. 6).
And Paul is clear that the grace of God is most clearly made manifest through the Son of God and, most particularly, in and through his work on the cross.
And so, God chooses a people that we might be to ‘the praise of his glorious grace’ and God intends that this praise, and all his purposes, be focused upon and terminate in the Son of God. The climax of creation is the moment, in the fullness of time, in which ‘all things’ are united in Christ (v. 10).
Paul wants us to see this, to feel this and to join with him in praise.
The focus of praise is resolutely fixed upon him, the Son of God in whom we find mercy and receive redemption and forgiveness. Paul wants us to see the scope of God’s plan for creation that we might be led to wonder and, in our wonder, that we might respond in worship.
2. ETERNAL SECURITY
But Paul has a further, secondary, purpose in mind and, although secondary, it is essential that we grasp his full intentions in thus writing to the church in Ephesus. Paul’s first intention is that this revelation of the glory of God would result in praise. His second intention, and our primary interest this morning, is that we would see and comprehend the security those who believe have in Christ Jesus.
This is important.
Visualise with me the situation of the church in Ephesus.
Paul preaches and ministers in the city for just over two years and then leaves. Yes, he has trained up pastors and deacons and, yes, he has undoubtedly personally discipled many of the believers ministering among the churches. But, nonetheless, the church is inexperienced and immature. We also learn from the Acts 20, that the church is on the cusp of a great spiritual onslaught in which wolves will ravage the flock from outside and within.
This is combination of deceit, persecution and immaturity within the church is dangerous and it is likely that under such pressure believers were led to question the authenticity of their faith and the reliability of the gospel. It may be that some were on the verge of apostasy.
Now consider our situation today. We are based in a town very similar to Ephesus. We live, work and minister in a culture saturated with competing philosophies, religions and world views. We live in a culture sceptical, if not overtly hostile, towards the gospel and the things of God.
Personally speaking, many of us live among and work alongside unbelievers. Some of us face opposition and hostility on a daily basis.
In the midst of this uncertainty, opposition and trial, Paul wants us to feel the security that is found in Christ.
Paul gives us three reasons we can be confident that those of us who are in him are secure.
i. The ‘We’ includes me
Paul wants us to feel the weight of the collective pronouns throughout this passage. Consider,
[God] has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4)
In love he predestined us for adoption (Ephesians 1:4-5)
he has blessed us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8)
And now, in verse 11,
In him we have obtained an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-14)
It is as though, at this point, Paul becomes aware that there is an element of ambiguity in both the ‘us’ and ‘we’. Who are the ‘we’? The Apostles only? Paul and his inner circle? The church in Jerusalem? Those out ministering on the mission field?
The truth is that we are too often wracked with similar insecurities. It is too easy for us to look at mature, gifted or higher profile believers and allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking that they are more meritous, deserving or blessed. This slippery slope can result in us becoming blind to the things God is doing in our own lives, lead us into questioning our own calling and, if continued unchecked, can lead us to question our own salvation.
This is why Paul is so careful to explain the scope of the personal pronouns, the ‘us’ and the ‘we’.
Firstly, the blessings described in verses 3 through to 14 apply to the Apostles and those first generation believers (who witnessed the resurrected Lord). Paul sets this out in verses 11 and 12,
In him 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. (Ephesians 1:11-12)
Paul addresses those ‘who were the first to hope in Christ’, a crowd which will most certainly have included the Apostles and most likely those first disciples who gathered between the ascension and Pentecost.
Now, if Paul stops here, the saints in Ephesus and surely you and I have cause for concern. Paul, however, continues,
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
That glorious phrase, ‘In him you also’, extends all of the spiritual blessing described above and poured out in and through the cross, to all believers everywhere. These blessings are for those who, on hearing the gospel, believe.
There may be people listening to this message this morning who are undergoing a real crisis of faith. It may be that you have stumbled appallingly and you doubt that you can ever be restored. It may be that you are struggling and suffering in your battle against sin and the flesh. You may be facing very real opposition and even persecution. It may be that your faith is being attacked intellectually and you feel ill equipped to respond, much less defend the gospel. It may be that you are in a really dry and barren place and that God seems far off.
In such moments it is tempting to believe the lie that you are alone and that you are the only one struggling. It is easy to believe that you are somehow on the outside looking in.
If you heard the word truth and believed, then Paul intends you to receive this truth this morning, you are on the inside because you are in Christ. The ‘we’ and the ‘us’ includes you.
And this leads me to the second reason we can have confidence that we are secure in him.
ii. He works all things according to his will
Paul continues,
In him 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 (Ephesians 1:11)
Before we move to consider what Paul intends here, we must firstly address an ambiguity in the original language which presents us with two possibilities in translation.
In the original language, the word here translated ‘inheritance’ is passive and it is difficult to determine as to who possesses the inheritance, the believer or God.
The ESV opts for the former and renders the passage thus, ‘In him we have obtained an inheritance’ (Ephesians 1:11). It is important to clarify that this is biblically sound and, if the ESV is correct, then the inheritance would refer to all the spiritual blessings described from verses 3 to 14 including the sealing by the Holy Spirit in verse 13 which are bestowed upon the believer in Christ. In other words, we are the recipients of an inheritance bestowed by God through and in Christ Jesus. John Stott argues for this option and makes the observation that the letter to the Colossians (which is closely related to Ephesians) has a closely related verse,
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:11-12)
The NIV, however, translates verse 11 as follows,
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 (Ephesians 1:11 (NIV))
The NIV makes God the possessor and believers the possession. A more accurate translation translates the passage thus,
In him we were made an inheritance [heritage] having been predestined according to the purpose of him who is working all things according to the counsel of his will. (Ephesians 1:11)
This is the preferred translation for two reasons.
Firstly, it seems to me that this translation better fits the main thrust of the text. We see that God is at work in eternity past and through history predestining and redeeming a people for himself that we might be for the praise of his glory. It seems to me that this translation is in keeping with this. He makes us his heritage, his inheritance, by predestining us. He predestines us for his own possession.
Secondly, this translation is in keeping with all that is patterned in God’s relationship with his people in the Old Testament,
But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. (Deuteronomy 4:20)
And,
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
And,
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2)
It is the latter half of the verse which outlines the electing activity of God which gives the passage its force. God chooses us to be his possession, his heritage, his inheritance and this God is supremely powerful and able to work ‘all things according to the counsel of his will’.
There is, I think, a great promise here. God does not make mistakes and God is never thwarted.
There are occasions when we are stumbling through really dark and difficult times unable to see any way out of our circumstances. There are (and will continue to be) times of calamity, suffering and trial and sometimes, in such moments, hope seems to elude us entirely.
We can be confident that his grip on us is secure, indeed, eternally secure, because he ‘works all things according to the counsel of his will’ (v. 11).
Hear this: God is never shocked, because he is never surprised. God never improvises, because he is never surprised. God’s purposes are never thwarted because he ‘works all things according to the counsel of his will’ (v. 11).
If you are a believer today, you may displease God and you may make unwise and even sinful choices, the consequences of which may burden you for the rest of your life, but you cannot thwart God’s eternal purposes. You may have stumbled or even fallen badly; repent and return to him confident that his grace is rich and expansive enough to cover every sin.
Return to him in confidence that his eternal purposes (which, if you truly are a believer, includes your salvation) can never be stalled, derailed or thwarted. His will shall be done.
Paul thus writes in his letter to the Romans,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)
Our justification is as secure as our predestination. Our glorification is as secure as our justification. This explains Paul’s use of the present tense throughout (even though our glorification will not take place until Jesus Christ returns).
We would do well to allow these weighty truths to penetrate our souls, understanding that such truth, rather than leading us to sin casually, leads us to pursue righteousness wholeheartedly.
iii. We were sealed
Paul writes that, those of us who heard the word of truth and believed in Christ Jesus ‘were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit’ (v. 13).
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
This sealing is emphatic and in it we see implied the Godhead in its entirety at work. In the original language it is implied that the Father is the one who undertakes the sealing (this fits with the flow of thought throughout the passage), the sphere in which this occurs is in the Son (the sealing is applied to those who ‘believed in him’) and the Spirit is the means or instrument of the seal.
The point of all of this is that this sealing carries the entire force of the Godhead and that this sealing is the down-payment or guarantee of the inheritance to come.
What does Paul mean when he writes that the Holy Spirit is our guarantee of our future inheritance and how does this bring us security? Paul writes, again in Romans Chapter 8,
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16)
For Paul, this is not some vague warm fuzzy feeling arising during a particularly emotional worship event or by some stirring testimony. This witnessing of the Holy Spirit with our spirit is grounded in objective reality. Consider then the context of this passage,
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 1For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:12-17)
Paul’s point is that those who are his know they are his because of the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, ‘For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.’ (v. 14).
The encouragement then is clear. Do you see evidence in your life of an increasing love of righteousness and hatred of sin? Are you actively at work putting to death the deeds of the body? Are you pursuing the things of God, spending time in prayer, studying the Scriptures and serving your brothers and sisters. Paul understands that all of this is impossible without the Spirit of God and, as such, all of this is evidence of the Spirit of God at work in our lives.
And so, in Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul expects believers to derive great confidence in this. We know our inheritance is secure because we have received the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee (literally, the down payment) of all that we will have and be in him when he returns. In receiving the Holy Spirit we receive a foretaste of the kingdom and the things of heaven (verse 3 states this explicitly).
It is so important that we understand that true spirituality is immensely practical in its outworking. Consider the following passages from Ephesians and the way in which they exhort us towards true spirituality which is holy living,
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:30-32
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 5:18-21
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
As believers our security is grounded in God and is tangible. He chooses us before the foundation of the world, he plans and executes our rescue through the death and resurrection of the Son of God, he supernaturally incorporates us into Christ Jesus and he seals us with the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of all that is to come.
3. PRESENT EXPECTATION
Between the fulfilment of promise, we have received the promised Holy Spirit, and the expectation of a promise yet to be fulfilled, we are reminded that we live in the now but not yet.
The reality of our lives as believers is that we have received the promised Holy Spirit who equips us for godly living, brings encouragement and enables transformation today. This is the promise for the now. This is the inheritance we have already obtained. In this there is safety and security.
And yet, in this present age we still struggle with disappointment, tragedy, calamity, sin, sickness and death. We are called to contend in the now, but we look towards the not yet.
As the Spirit moves, opening blind eyes, convicting of sin and transforming sin-ruined lives, we see the kingdom advance and a foretaste of that day when all things will be united in him. As we see the Spirit at work in us, revealing Jesus to us, shining a spotlight on hidden sin in our lives and equipping us to ‘walk in a manner worthy of our calling’, our confidence in him grows.
As we see, through the Spirit’s work, the imprint of the Father on our lives, our conviction grows that we are indeed sons of God and from this overflow, we praise him for the cross, we praise him for his glory and we praise him for his glorious grace.