Family Of Families

Good morning. Good morning. Now I know why I picked that song. We're here before, for God's presence, and I count it a privilege to stand before you today. so let me pray for our time here and for Tim and Dave and Daryl. Heavenly Father, again, we are privileged to be adopted. Many in this room have been adopted and yet they have the blessing to be adopted again.

As we contemplate this glorious truth, Father, it tells us of your great love and depth and mercy given to us. We are humbled. We are privileged, Father, to be in a place where we've been ministered the word of God time and time again and having a conference that we've been blessed with the word of God. So help us this day. We pray for Daryl, Tim, and Dave to guide them and bless them, Father, that they would be a blessing to those young pastors and their families.

We count it a privilege to be part of that. and our cup does runneth over, Father. You have lavished us with so much. So help us look into the Word of God. Give me wisdom and clarity of thinking to speak Your Word. In Christ's name, amen. Ephesians, how fitting.

How fitting this intro. I was telling Dan earlier, you really get to the meat of it latter because we need that that putting off and putting on we been running this through the high school class because I know it a glorious book But as I looked at this first chapter, how could I have read through that and not comprehended it, not really savored it, not let it just impermanate my heart and my mind? How could I have looked through it like that? and so this adoption, I started researching adoption in Paul's time in the Romans.

I have a clip here. I just have to read this. No, I've got it memorized. Adoption was familiar in the Roman culture. if a family didn't have a son they would adopt another and they would do this ritual of taking a scale and copper and it doesn't describe all and they would transfer that back and forth and the last time then they would let that adoption go through and then everything that that young person would have in his old life, none of it would exist.

This would be a whole new family. And I was just thinking how that's a similar parallel to this adoption we have in Christ. That our old life is gone, yet we're still reminded of it, but there's this new life. Apostle Paul was one who would want No praise to be given to him, but the praise and honor to Christ and to the Father and to the Son. So turn with me to Ephesians 1.

We'll read through it. And then we'll try to proclaim truths from it. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God unto the saints are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus. grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, and to the praise of his glorious grace in which he has blessed us in the beloved. 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, in all wisdom and insight, 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. in him we have obtained inheritance having be predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will so that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be the praise of his glory 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. Again, Paul addresses the people of God not as redeemed sinners, but as saints.

I've lost my notes. That's a tragedy. Tragedy. I better have it in here too. But there's always heresies, and there was heresies in Paul's time. And man always wanted to be in control.

Man has always wanted to be in control from the fall in the garden. Adam was in perfect harmony. Praise be to God that Christ Jesus came to redeem us out of that. So he calls them as saints who are in Ephesus. He's burdened for them. Two times in this letter he falls to his knees and prays that the richness of God would fill them.

His purposes were right. Paul love for the church he was a vessel to share the gospel Here the one who has everything to claim and is zealous to God yet counts it all rubbish And he gives us this clear vision of the working of God. Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. even as he has chose us in him before the foundations of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him it's a mystery he calls out later this mystery has been revealed to us and we can't take this without looking on into the into the book of what Paul's writing here because they would always read these clear through The early church, they would read through them and read through them and memorize it.

We've got to understand what he said in, we were dead in our trespasses. We were apart from God. It's a mystery that's profound in our thinking when we understand that these things were all planned before the creation of the universe, before the fall. what went through God's mind as he contemplated in his foreknowledge it blows our mind we can't even wrap around it as he saw Adam in his foreknowledge falling he'd provide this redemption his son and it talks later about this council I think of the council of God the triune God and never needed man.

He never needed man, but sought fit to use man. He sought fit to use the means of the church to call people to Himself. I don't know about your life, but God was always there. I had some knowledge of God, but I praise him for his protection. That when I was still dead in my transgressions, that love was still instigated. He took care of me.

What it does in our life, it shows us the purposes of God. Each and every one of us, God has purposed, He has purposed that in Christ, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and that makes your mind just, you know, what is that like? To be in the presence of God, to be with the holy angels, if you can get your mind around that. as the angels long to see this mystery that we live in, as Peter writes it, but more importantly, as the Spirit of God writes it, for our behalf.

That's what we want to understand. That in the heavenly places, that the purity and the holiness of God is in that place. The angels marvel that this great love is poured out to sinners that are dead. There's nothing real glorious about a dead person. As you preach the word of God, God puts you in. And we had a sweet lady who died in our community last week.

And you see the promises of God. She was in Christ. She was ready. but you know when I went to the funeral home she wasn't there she's not there promises of God shout if I encourage you all you know it's a really tough thing go to funerals not only to be with people but to understand the promises of God that he lavished his love to us before the foundations of the earth and we're benefactors of it.

We are benefiting from it. You know, we just sang it in that song, these blessings. We just don't see them. Before the foundations of the world, back to the test, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. The Father predestines it. The Son accomplishes it here. the only way we holy and blameless is this redemption of blood This perfect redemption we just celebrated last week That we understand the wrath of God was poured out on the very Son of God That we should have been there.

His death was our fault. But He did that for our benefit. That we would be holy and blameless before Him. in love in love he predestined it for the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ here's this beautiful adoption if you think about adoption you know I see families that adopt and I'm like that is such a loving thing to do that is so loving and there's different desires a need of a child the desire to bring loved ones into your home as we contemplate this adoption that God had for us it could only have been accomplished with the willingness of the Son to walk on this sin-cursed land to leave the heavenly realm to leave that to walk and be a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.

If you think about that for a while, it's a daunting task to leave and to know that he would take that burden of sin that weighed us down that would be the adoption that act of love according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace in which he has blessed us in the beloved here we see the church the church I've often contemplated how can I how can I savor God more How can I make God my portion? This is our portion. Until we be with him completely this is our portion Do we understand that fully At times we don This is our portion.

God wants us to be a part of this. And that's the instruction later in this letter. He's doing that great and glorious work. He wants us to know that we are holy and blameless, that our relationship with Him is perfect in Christ, holy and blameless. A lot of times we don't feel like we're holy and blameless. But again, that's the deceitfulness of our own heart, not looking at the Word of God for what it is.

I think of the purposes of God as we look at creation, all of its majesty in this warm spring weather. It's glorious. His creation shouts of His glory. And what is these vessels that are adopted into this new family? Why do we not praise and give homage to our King? Because we're doing a contentment book in Men of Faith.

I'm discontent. I'm being discontent. Does that make sense? The sin runs deep into our very being. But again, the reminder that we're saints. And I skipped over that.

In verse 1, saints who are in Ephesus, who are faithful to Christ Jesus. Hear that? There's instruction to us. Saints, in Larry Baptist, I'm not maligning the Word of God. The Lord would say, us, be faithful. Be faithful.

I've just gone through those tapes of our conference. A beautiful picture of Christ telling His disciples and telling us, Abide in me. Abide in me. Rest in me. Find rest for your weary souls Find rest and comfort Find this hope that is beyond understanding Find this peace These are the benefits of it. In Him we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.

There's peace according to the riches of His grace, unmerited. There was nothing hindering the will of God to purchase a people for Himself, for His glory. Which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, 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 we get this picture of everything in discord we can see the society in discord the divisions and all that but you got to understand because of the fall everything's in discord He wants everything united.

It was His purpose to create a people for Himself. And that was lost in Adam. And what is in Christ, He's gaining back. Someday, in the new earth and new heaven, everything will be restored. But we're in the middle of this, people of God. We've been made known these mysteries. not for just us, for the glory and praise of His name, that we would be those ambassadors in our land.

That we would carry the banner of Christ wherever we go. We say, I'm not carrying a flag around. No, you carry it upon your very being. They see it on your very continents of your face. Why are you grumbling so much? Why are you complaining? you're surely not in Christ.

Ungrateful, discontent. We all battle with it. But these are the things that don't shine the banner of Christ. That prophecy of Isaiah, I love that, it just will not snuff out a smoldering wick. He takes the most intimate care to the people. As we think of the babies that are being killed, God cares.

We can be a part of that, people of God. we're not ashamed to proclaiming a ministry that is glorious in jesus christ's sight as a pregnancy center because it's all about jesus christ anything we can do in this life an organization it better proclaim jesus christ or we're wasting a lot of time in it Am I right? Because it can weigh you down. The church has everything for us.

We're in chapter 4 and it's saying God's equipped us all. He's equipped us all differently. But is that desire to serve in your heart? It should be. because now we're adopting a family that is about his glory, his praise, his honor. And our old family was just about self. What can I do for myself?

That was the mantra. What can I do for myself? Do you know the deadness of that life? the gospel has to be preached and murmured and this is the gospel here that God initiates it and what God initiates it will happen we heard the gospel in different ways by caring people came alongside. Maybe it was one phrase. Maybe it was a discussion. Maybe you heard a gospel on the radio.

There's different ways. But it God through and through He receives all the praise and honor and glory These things in the heavenly realms pour out to us And if Paul addresses it later in this, and we're going to talk about this later, the benefits of being part of this glorious thing called the church, which is not brick and windows. It's lives. It's lives that are being transformed in the likeness of Him and blameless and pure we will be someday.

Someday. Oh, we should long for that day. In the latter part of this section, he says, in Him we have obtained an inheritance. It awaits us, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, believed in him, you 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.

This seal was used in documents. You know, they press a seal in important documents and it wouldn't be broken. how is that how has the Holy Spirit sealed us well if we understand what Paul wrote in Romans we have this adoption as sons and daughters in Christ and we call out Abba Father I remember talking to a guy who had brain surgery he didn't go to a really good church but you know they were believers I was trying to encourage him. I go, you know, one man shakes his fists against God.

Why this? And another says, Father, Father, you are my Father. And it sealed because we know his Son And Christ told his disciples and the Jews which He first came to and they didn know Him as is written in John He came to a people not His own. He made them His possession. There's one thing through all the scriptures, God must receive all the glory and honor and praise I will not give my glory to another says in Isaiah I will not give my glory to another well in the midst of all this how do we do this? that's a relationship again when we look at the actions of obedience outside of relationship, they become cold.

That's something I say commonly. When it's not a relationship, when you're not in prayer, not in those basic principles of the faith, we're going to get cold. It's a given. You've heard it in Sunday school. You've heard it all your life. If you've been a Christian, read your Bible, memorize Scripture, pray.

It's more than that. It's that relationship of going through the hardship of life. In the working of the Spirit, you know who you are. You know who you are. Your purposes of life have changed. It's not we battle.

It's a battle. Self is always a battle. We know when we come here, we're made new again. Are we not? Do you feel renewed every Sunday when you hear the gospel proclaimed and the word of God proclaimed? It shouldn't renew you.

That's the Spirit's work. It reminds us of these works here. Turn back to 1 John. And the patterns of sin have to be broken. They have to be broken. Taking all that we looked through in the first chapter of Ephesians he was preparing them for sound instruction They need to hear they adopted The struggles they were in and the patterns of their thinking they need renewed And here John affirms to see what kind of love in chapter 3 in 1 John.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us. That we should be called children of God. And so we are. The reason why the world does not know us, it did not know him. Beloved, we are the children of God now and that's what we will be. Has not appeared, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him. because we shall see him as he is and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away the sins. In him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps sinning has either seen him or knows him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is right, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil. For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he's been born of God.

But this is evident. Who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil is? I put one extra word. You know who the children of the devil are when you're enslaved in it. And you know John's penned this earlier. he said if you say you're without sin you make him out to be a liar and the word has no place in us we know it's apparent here that our love as we abide in him our fight against sin Do not be discouraged in your fight against sin.

You're not alone. You have loved ones all around you. People you can talk to, people you can come to. And most of all, we have a glorious Savior who anticipates us because of His work, of us coming to Him. The power of God is not without effect. What's not in effect?

Why it's not effective? It's too often the pride in our own hearts. I don't need no help. I'm alone. This is my deal and I can handle it. And that's where Satan wants you.

As a children of God, he wants you cared for. He wants you shepherd as sheep one flock I hope to be a shepherd that will always be approachable I love it when the saints call me. I don't love it when they say, I'm sorry I bothered you. You never bother me. You never bother me. My life is His, as well as yours are His. we are together in this and God is faithful God is faithful hear the words of God today in this beautiful adoption I want to speak to you who are have been with us and maybe not listen or maybe not heard it properly.

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Young and old Never doubt the saving grace of Jesus Christ And believer, never doubt the power of God and the Spirit of God that raised our Lord from the dead. To take your hearts and mold them and shape them for His glory. never doubt that if you do you're doubting the word of God the very word we have read today about this glorious adoption there's nothing that will ever separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus death, disease, famine nothing oh yeah we lose we lose some some fall away and it rips our hearts out stand firm in this glorious truth this glorious truth of this adoption we have in the person of God Let us pray Father we just again we thank you for your mercies and grace.

When we think about your love being lavished upon us while we were still dead in our transgressions. It's a mystery that is so good to meditate on. Help us, Father. Help us to savor Your goodness. Oh, You're always good. And You have many blessings You pour out on us. there's different situations in everyone's lives battles with disease battles with loved ones unbelieving members in your family and you are the Lord of our hearts guide us and shape us for your name's sake in Jesus name