The Chosen One's: Origin
Dynamic Life Baptist Ministries - Pastor Victor Clay
Sermon Series: The Chosen One's: How Shall We Now Live
Sermon Title: The Chosen One's: Origin
Sermon Text: Ephesians 1:3-6
Sermon Purpose: To call the hearer to recognize that his origin is rooted in the love of God, manifested in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Proposition: There are 5 propositions that determine the believer's origin.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 (NKJV)
Introduction:
Spiritual blessing are of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that controls man and the circumstances that surround him. A man may feel bad; he may be down, depressed and oppressed; but if his spirit is strong, he arises and conquers his feelings. He controls and overcomes the oppressing circumstances, and he lives a victorious day. But if his spirit is weak, whether at work or at play, he often wallows around in self-pity, grumbling and griping and living a defeated day. And too often the days stretch into weeks and months until a person's life is down more than it is up - all because the spirit is too weak to conquer. Thus, the major blessings of God are bound to be blessings that are spiritual - that enable a person to control his life. (The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible - Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, pp. 125)
But every human effort at self-improvement or self-satisfaction - no matter what its religious covering may be - is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Genuine and lasting satisfaction is never achieved, and increased achievement only brings increased desire. More importantly, the guilt and fear that cause the dissatisfaction are suppressed but not alleviated. The longer such superficial games are played, the deeper become the depression, anxiety, and feelings of guilt. The only way a person can achieve a true sense of self-worth, meaning, and significance is to have a right relationship to his Creator. A person without Christ has no spiritual value, no standing before God, no purpose or meaning in the world. He is like "chaff which the wind drives away" (Ps. 1:4). (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Ephesians, pp. 6)
I. The chosen one's origin is rooted in God's personhood. v.3a
II. The chosen one's origin is rooted in God's provisions. v.3b
A. Spiritual blessings are of the Spirit.
B. Spiritual blessings are the opposite of temporal blessings.
C. Spiritual blessings are found only in Christ.
III. The chosen one's origin is rooted in God's preference. v.4
A. The first purpose of God's election is holiness. (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15)
B. The second purpose of God's election is blamelessness. (Colossians 1:21-22; Philippians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
IV. The chosen one's origin is rooted in God's predestination. v.5
A. The first result of predestination is sonship. v.5a (Romans 8:28)
B. The second result of predestination is God's will fulfilled. v.5b (John 3:16; Romans 10:13)
V. The chosen one's origin is rooted in God's praise. v.6
A. The first result is recognition of God's glorious grace. v.6a (Ephesians 2:7)
B. The second result is recognition of God's glorious Son. v.6b (Ephesians 1:9; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:9-11)