EPHESIANS 1:1-62006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ephesians 1:1-6

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. Chapter 19, Acts chapter 19. We're starting the book of Ephesians this morning and to get some background we'll be looking at some portions here in Acts chapter 19. Acts chapter 19. Now the book of Ephesians...

is addressed to the letter of, or the letter, the city of Ephesus, which was in the Asia Minor. It was right off the Aegean Sea, right between the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean Sea, I lost my C's there for a moment. But it was a major city right there on the coast that was very much steeped in the Greek culture and used in commerce. There was there the temple of Diana the goddess, one of the idols that they would worship in those times. And it became a prominent city because everybody would come to worship Diana there in the city of Ephesus.

Also there at the temple, because it was a noted establishment and a trusted place, it became the chief banking establishment in all of Asia Minor. So if you wanted to deposit some money and trust that they were safe, you would take it to Ephesus and deposit it there at the temple of Dianama.

So the economy was supported by all of the people that would come in to worship at that temple, to do some commerce and trading. It was right there on the sea, and so there would be much traffic from the seaport as well. And so we see that it was a very commercial city, a very busy city, very well-off and wealthy city as well because of the idolatry and the things that were sold there. Now, we get the understanding from Acts chapter 19.

that one of the major industries there in Ephesus was the production of idols. It was the production of the idols for the goddess Diana and various other idols as well, and other gods that they worshipped as well. And we understand that from Acts chapter 19 by this guy named Demetrius who gets upset because...

The gospel now has come to the city of Ephesus and the book of Acts, and it's impacted the city in such a way that it's hurting their business. Paul did not go in there to try to wipe out idolatry, but he went in there preaching Jesus Christ. And as a result, the city was changed and the industry began to fall to the side because people were not purchasing idols anymore. They were worshiping the one true God, Jesus Christ.

Paul visited the city of Ephesus on his second and third missionary journeys. His second missionary journey, we read about it in Acts chapter 18, verses 18 through 21. His third missionary journey, we read about it, it's pretty much the entirety of Acts chapter 19.

He also visited the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20, but not in the city of Ephesus. And so Ephesus was very near and dear to Paul's heart. He stayed there in his third missionary journey. He stayed there for three years while he was ministering the gospel to them and watching God do those incredible things.

This letter to the Ephesians was written by Paul while he was in prison, probably about 60 to 64 AD. He was there waiting. He had appealed to Caesar. He was waiting for his appearance before Caesar. And while he's there in prison, he writes this letter to the Ephesians. It's the first of four prison epistles that we have within our Bibles. It's the book of Ephesians, the book of Philippians, the book of Colossians, and also the book of Philemon.

And so here, this book was written from prison. Now, some dispute that it's written to Ephesus and some say that it's a circular letter meant that it was to Ephesus, but, you know, it was meant to be distributed to all the churches. And very well, because we're here this morning to hear what God has to speak to us.

through this book, and so it would be something that would be ministering to all of us. But they say that because for Paul spending so much time in Ephesus, there's no personal references really in the book of Ephesus, like he often has, you know, say hello to this person, say hi to that person. It's more of a general letter to churches in general that we might understand what God has to say to us.

But the background now for Acts chapter 19, or for actually Ephesians is in Acts chapter 19, verse 1, it says, And it happened while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.

So Paul, coming through the region, he comes to Ephesus and he finds there's some disciples. He notices something's up. Maybe they don't have the joy that they're meant to have. They're not able to be the witness that we're called to be. Whatever the case, Paul notices there's something lacking. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. So he asks them,

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said, well, we didn't even know that there was a Holy Spirit. And so at that point, Paul lays his hands upon them and they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And from there on out, we read in the rest of Acts chapter 19,

The work that was done by God was incredible. Verse 10, it says, and this continued for two years so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. As the baptism of the Holy Spirit was poured out there on the saints at Ephesus, then the result was over the next two years, all of Asia was

heard the word of Jesus Christ. They heard the gospel message. That's the result of the Spirit at work in our life. And so as the Spirit is working, verse 18 goes on to say, excuse me,

We see what happens. Revival is taking place. People are getting saved. They realize they get rid of their gods. They bring all their magic books together and they just burn them all up.

They find out that it's this incredible amount of money. There's revival taking place. This whole region is being affected by

By this gospel message, by what is taking place. And so here we find where Demetrius gets involved. Verse 23, And about that time there arose a great commotion about the way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation and said, Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade, that is, making idols.

Verse 26, Moreover, you see in here, not only in Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods, which are made with hands.

So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship. So now Demetrius, as a result of this, begins to be concerned. His trade is in danger. The industry, it's dying off.

It's not, business is not booming as it once was. Now there's a lack, there's a need. Now he's recognizing, hey, I'm not selling as many, you know, little trinkets that I've been selling. I'm not making as much money.

And there's a problem, and it's because of this guy, the Apostle Paul, and the work that is going out, the gospel message that he is preaching. So that's the background. That's what took place there. Of course, we know after that there was a huge riot, and Paul had to move on to another place to continue to minister. But Ephesus was dramatically impacted by the gospel message. There was a great work and a great revival that took place there as people heard the gospel message.

But I'd like to point out as we start the book of Ephesus, if you go back to verse 1 and 2, it would have never happened had Paul not come there and asked them, hey, have you guys received the Holy Spirit when you believed? And their response was, we didn't even know that there was a Holy Spirit. And I point that out because the book of Ephesus, it's so essential. The way that it's laid out is not just...

Well, this is one thought, this is another thought. But it's masterfully laid out to give us priority in the things that we learn and how we are to live this Christian life. Because we can look at the church at Ephesus and we can say, wow, that's wonderful. Look at the things that took place there. I mean, how many of you want to impact our community in that way and see revival like that take place in the city of Corona or the region of Southern California? Very often in our Christian walk,

We can look at Ephesus or we can look at some of the models and examples and believers that we have in the Bible. And we can say, how do we do that? How do we accomplish that? That's what we want to accomplish. We want to impact Corona like that. So we look at what they did. Okay, they worked miracles. They burned their magic books. We figure if we can do those things, duplicate those things, maybe we'll have the same type of result. How do we get that same type of impact?

But there's a problem that you and I discover as we try to walk this life. And that is this. It is not possible for us to live the Christian life in our own strength or in our own power. It's not possible for us to live the life that we're called to live on our own. You cannot be a good Christian by trying really hard. It doesn't work. You can't live the life that God has called you without the power of God. You can only live the Christian life

With the power of God working in your life as a result of your relationship with him. All of the works and all of the things that we see on the outward, it's got to be the result of, it's got to be the fruit of our relationship with him and his power at work. Our emphasis, usually when we talk to each other or talk to believers or minister or watch TV or whatever, the emphasis that is usually placed is on what we must do.

Here's what you must do for God. This is the actions that you must put into place. We get focused on our works and we get caught up in them, focused on the things that you must do. But that is not the biblical emphasis. The biblical emphasis is what God has done for us, not what we must do for God. In Galatians, we learned so much about God's grace.

And His grace is wonderful and it's amazing as we've seen. But you know, that is not all that God has for us. That's just His grace. And we spent the last few months looking at that. But there's so much more that God has in store for us and that God has done for us.

That's what Paul is talking about here in the book of Ephesians. See, God has so much for us. But if we're like the Ephesians and we say, we didn't even know that existed, then we'll find there, we'll discover there the reason why we're not able to live the life that

That we feel like we're called to live. We find that we're not able to impact our community the way that we think we're supposed to because we never knew all that God had for us. We never knew all the things that God has blessed us with.

And that's what Ephesians emphasizes. There are some great application, things that we must do and put into practice found in chapters four through six. But before he gets to that, Paul makes sure in chapters one through three that we have a good understanding of what God has done for us. See, we can't do the things that we're called to do.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 tells us to walk worthy of the calling that you have received. You can't do that until you learn what he has done for you. The incredible, wonderful, amazing things that God has done for you. It is there that we find the resources to carry out the things that we're to carry out in this Christian life.

So Ephesians outlines this for us. Chapters 1-3 telling us all about the wonderful things God has done. And then chapters 4-6 telling us now

Now that you've been enabled, you've been empowered, now put that power into practice and live it out in your Christian life. And I would encourage you, just like I did as we started the book of Galatians, to take some time this week and in one sitting to sit down and read through the book of Ephesians. It's only six chapters long. It'll take you maybe 20 or 30 minutes. But it will give you a wonderful perspective on the balance that we're to have, what God has done for us, which enables us

To live for him like he's called us to. Until I believe and receive what God has done for me, I will not be able to walk the way that I am called to. So as we study the book of Ephesians, we will learn how to be the Christian we've always dreamed of being. But it starts with an understanding of what God has done for us. And so let's start that journey together. Ephesians chapter 1. Please turn there with me. Ephesians chapter 1.

And would you please stand with me as we read this together? I'll read the odd verses, and you please read the even verses. We're looking at verses 1 through 6 this morning. Ephesians chapter 1, starting in verse 1, it says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.

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, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Amen. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we do thank you for your word. Lord, and as we look this morning at some of the wonderful things that you've done for us,

Lord, I pray that you would give us understanding of how much you love us. Lord, of how great you are. Lord, that it might impact us, that we might be able to walk worthy of the calling that we have received. Lord Jesus, speak to us now through your word by the power of your Holy Spirit. In your precious name we pray. Amen. You can be seated. He starts out like he usually does in verse 1. Paul says,

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. You know, I love the testimony of Pastor Chuck Smith, the pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, who the Lord used to begin the whole Calvary Chapel movement.

But he talks about his beginning years, his beginning years of ministry, and for so many years, how he sought to be Chuck the Evangelist by the will of God. He longed to be an evangelist. That was something that he desired, and it was something in the denomination that he was involved in that was emphasized. And so he always thought the thing that he was to be was an evangelist.

And he talks about how he would preach evangelistic messages week in and week out, but there was never any real fruit and it was very frustrating for him. He never really enjoyed ministry that much because it was always a frustration as he would be there to preach evangelistic messages and see everybody he knew by first name. Everybody was saved already, yet he had these powerful evangelistic messages. And it wasn't until he shares about Ephesians chapter 4 that

As he learned that the job of a pastor was to equip the saints for the work of ministry. And he learned that he needed to fulfill his calling not as Chuck the evangelist, but as Chuck the pastor teacher. And as he began to fulfill that calling, that role in his life, then there was great fruit. Then ministry was enjoyable for him. Then he was able to do the things that God had called him to do.

We learned that same valuable lesson from the Apostle Paul here. He says, Paul, an apostle by the will of God. It's so important for us to be able to say that. Whatever position we are in, you know, it's very good to be on the mission field or to be involved in the ministry. But that is not everybody's calling. Often it's talked about as the best calling or the highest calling.

But, you know, the highest calling for you and me is the calling that he has given to us. So that I can say, Jerry, pastor, by the will of God.

But can you say your name and your occupation by the will of God? It doesn't necessarily have to be in the ministry or the mission field, but you can say David Witherby, police officer, by the will of God. Because you know that's God's will for your life and you can fulfill that, giving glory to God, if that is his will. Or perhaps Darlene Duran, stay-at-home mom, for the will of God, by the will of God, for the glory of God.

Or perhaps you can say, Rick, fireman, by the will of God, for the glory of God. That is what we are called to do. That is how we are called to be. No matter where we are, no matter where God has placed us, we are there by the will of God. And it's so important for us to know the will of God. Now, you can know the will of God. God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

He knows the occupation that you are to have, the family that you're to be a part of, the ministry that you're to be involved in. And the key is to understand and to know that will of God, to find out what that will is and then to live it out. That's what Paul said he was doing. I'm an apostle by the will of God. God didn't call me to be a pastor, Paul says. He didn't call me to be an evangelist. He called me to be an apostle. And that is what I am doing.

Now for some of you, I know I've shared this on Wednesday, but not everybody was able to find out. The Lord has done a neat work in that he has called me now to quit paychecks.

and to start being here on a full-time basis. So I'll be able to be here throughout the week and use the opportunities of that time that God gives me to do more ministry and do the things that he places upon my heart. And so it's a new step for me. So be praying for me as God has. I keep telling everybody, the only reason why God's making me quit is because he has a whole new batch of lessons for me to learn and he can't do it with me working there. So,

I know that God has a great work in store. But whatever the case is, you find out God's will for your life and then do it. Do it for his glory and then say confidently, hey, my name, my occupation by the will of God. This is what I do because this is God's will for me. Now, who is this letter to? He says to the saints in Ephesus and the faithful there.

In Christ Jesus. That word saints, literally it means holy ones. But Paul was not writing to a select few there in the city of Ephesus or the Christians in that region. According to the Bible, every believer is a saint.

Every believer is a holy one that has been set aside for God. And so this letter was to all of Ephesus, and this morning it is also to you and I. And in verse 2, Paul says to you and me, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this was Paul's usual greeting, grace and peace, always together, always in that order, because you cannot experience true peace without

Until you experience or receive the grace of God. Now, let's jump right in. Verses 3 through 6. Now, the book of Ephesus, or Ephesians, to the city of Ephesus, the church there, it's a masterfully written book with tons of

Of little areas that we could dive into and spend very long amounts of time. We're not going to do that. We're going to try to get through at least verse 6 this morning. And then we'll move on and finish chapter 1 next week. But there is so much in here. It's masterfully written. In fact, if you look at verses 3 through 6, you might notice it's one sentence. But there's so much in there.

And that one sentence is masterfully written by the Apostle Paul. And so we'll be able to look at it and pick out some of the things, the highlights, and

And I'm sure there'll be much more that God will want to speak to us about. And so I would encourage you to take these verses and to meditate on them throughout the week. But verse three starts out and says, 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, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

Just reading these few verses, you might notice the emphasis that it is all about him.

Here in chapter 1, we find the occurrence of the word he, as well as him, used 34 times. 34 times here in chapter 1, speaking about him, speaking about Jesus Christ, over and over, every verse referencing him.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's all about Him. It's about what He has done for us. The great God that He is. Now here, we're going to look at four specific things that He tells us He has done for us. These are things that have been accomplished. They're mentioned in past tense. He's done them. They're accomplished for us. What are they? Number one, He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Number two, he chose us before the foundation of the world. Number three, he predestined us to adoption. And then number four, he made us accepted. Four powerful things that God has done for us that we'll be able to look at and to understand this morning. Now, as we get into this,

you need to understand that some people have problems with this portion of Scripture. There's great debates that have raged and gone on for centuries about these verses and about the ideas that are presented here. Two major groups that talk about and discuss this portion of Scripture and the concepts here are the Calvinists and the Arminianists. You might have heard about them, the Calvinism versus Arminianism and all the debates that

Now, if anybody ever asks you, which are you? Are you a Calvinist? Are you an Arminianist? Here's what I want you to say. Neither. I'm a Biblicist. Because what they do is they take some scriptures and then they try to follow them out to their logical conclusion.

But the conclusion that they arrive at is something that is not biblical. And so on either side, you have all these differences. And of course, there's varying degrees amongst those who teach both sides of it.

There's some that go very extreme, and there's some that are kind of in the middle. But what we need to do is not side with Calvinist versus Arminianist, but just side with the Word of God. What does the Bible say? What does the Bible have to say about these things? And that is how we need to find the conclusion to these concepts and to these matters. Now, we're going to really get into that in a moment. But first, in order for us to really understand this portion of Scripture,

There's something that I want you to see. It's something that I presented, I showed, a little over two years ago now to the body on a Wednesday evening. It was on November 5th of 2003 when I proposed to my wife on a Wednesday evening after service. It's the proposal that I put together for her. And I want to share it with you this morning. I want to show it to you this morning. Because in it, by understanding and remembering that type of relationship,

I believe it will help us to understand the concepts that Paul is trying to teach us here about God blessing us, choosing us, predestining us, and making us accepted. So, here it is. Hi, my name is Jerry. I have a confession to make to you all. I am in love with a girl named Kim. That's her right there. I know you're probably pretty surprised and shocked, so let me start from the beginning. It all started on October 24th, 2001.

I remember that day just like it was yesterday. I was walking through the church parking lot after a Wednesday night service when I saw a red Cabriolet convertible getting ready to drive away. I had never met the girl driving it, yet somehow I knew her name was Kim and that she was a new believer who needed encouragement. So I stopped her from driving off and asked her to hang out with everyone for a while. We talked a little, but mostly I introduced her to other people.

When she actually left, I watched her drive away and prayed that God would bless her. I had no idea what God was about to do next. The next day was October 25th, 2001. I decided to check out the Worship Generation Bible Study at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I was very excited about going and I was worshiping the Lord as I drove down the 91 freeway. Just before the 55 interchange, the Lord spoke to me and said, "You are going to see the one you will marry tonight." I was completely shocked as you can imagine.

The rest of the way there, I wrestled with the question, was that really the Lord or just my imagination? I finally decided that I would try to walk in faith and believe it was God. So when I walked into the sanctuary at Costa Mesa, I tried to find the perfect spot to meet my future bride. I settled into the third row and spent some time praying. I figured that she would sit next to me and when I opened my eyes, I would get to see her. When the service started, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

As I looked to my right, there sat a nice old lady worshipping the Lord. So I looked to my left, there sat another nice old lady worshipping the Lord. I laughed to myself and decided to just worship the Lord and forget the whole thing. When I left Costa Mesa, I headed to Pastor Tom's house because he wanted to hear how Worship Generation went. As I drove up his street, I saw a vaguely familiar red Cabriolet convertible parked in front of his house.

Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Lord say to me again, You are going to see the one you will marry tonight. This time I was really shocked, and I skidded to a halt in the middle of the street. I went inside still in a daze, trying to figure out if this was really the Lord speaking. I shared with Pastor Tom all about worship generation, and he noticed something was up and asked if I was okay. I told him I was just tired, but really, I was trying to understand why Tim was at his house.

was the Lord really saying something about her? I decided to just accept it and see what God would do. The next few months passed very quickly. Nothing really happened between Tim and I, and I continued to wait to see what God wanted to do. Things started to change, however, when I went on a mission trip to Hawaii and Samoa in January of 2002. Pastor Tom and I got on a plane together to head over to Hawaii, and somehow I got stuck sitting next to him for the five-hour flight.

As we were talking, he started asking me if I was interested in dating anyone. I was quiet for a few seconds while I tried to decide if I should tell him about Kim. I took a deep breath and began telling him how the Lord had spoken to me about Kim. It was pretty scary telling my pastor this, but I knew that it was the Lord. After I finished telling him, he must have thought I was crazy, and all he could say was, "Wow, I would have never thought." The whole rest of the trip she was on my mind a lot.

and after I got back from Samoa, I invaded her life. I would find out if she was going out to eat somewhere after every church service and find a way to be there. I knew she worked at Sam's Club, so I would write verses on post-it notes and leave them on her car while she was working. I also began sending her text messages every chance I got. Of course I used verses in the text message, so I would not be too obvious, but mostly I just wanted to send her a message and say hi.

This continued through February and March, and even though we became good friends, she was unresponsive to all my attention and clearly not interested in a relationship with me. On one occasion, while we were at Denny's, she told me that she was not interested at all, and that if I was, we probably shouldn't hang out anymore. I told her I was interested and attracted to her, which made her look very disappointed, but I kept on doing everything I could to be around her.

In April of 2002, the college and career group went on a retreat in Big Bear. I became very depressed while I was up there because Kim was just not interested and I really thought God was going to do something.

I wrestled with many thoughts, and in my notebook, I wrote down my confusion, ending it with the question, Lord, should I give up hope and just move on with my life? That night, during the Bible study, the teacher mentioned Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 through 25. It piqued my interest, and when I looked it up, God directed me to verse 23, which says,

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. I became excited again and knew the Lord was telling me not to give up hope. So after the study, I took Richard out to dinner and told him the whole story. He thought I was crazy, but I didn't mind because I knew God was going to do something. The next two weeks were drastically different. Everywhere I went, Kim would go too. When I would call her, she would actually talk to me.

I didn't have to chase her anymore because she was always around. One night, while we were on the phone, I finally got up the courage to ask her if something happened on the retreat because she had been different ever since. She hesitated and then told me that God had spoken to her about me at the retreat and changed her heart like only God can.

I was blown away at the work of God in us. On May 5th, 2002, I was watching Donovan for Will and Rebecca, and I invited Kim to come to McDonald's with us after church. While Donovan was on the playground, I embarked on a long, complicated journey of a speech in which I asked Kim if she would seek the Lord with me. She was a little confused and asked, Does that mean I can say I'm your girlfriend?

Then I realized how silly I must have sounded, so I rephrased the question to simply, will you be my girlfriend? She said yes, and that is how God brought us together 18 months ago today. The next slide says the end, but tonight, I want to make it just the beginning. Isn't that a cute love story? I love that story. Of course, that's when I went down on one knee and I proposed, and she said yes, and so it made just the beginning. And you're saying, why on earth is Jerry showing us this? Well...

We've been talking about the importance of what God has done for us. And here's what we need to understand and remember. What God has done for us, all of the wonderful blessings that we'll study in the next few weeks as we look at Ephesians, everything he has done centers around his desire to have a relationship with us. He desires to have that loving intimacy with us, just like often we desire to have with others in our lives. He wants relationship with you and me.

And so there's similarities that we can understand as we look back at that story or relationship maybe that you have with someone, with your spouse or significant other or someone special in your life. We can look at those relationships and find the similarities and begin to really understand so that we don't have to struggle with these concepts that can sometimes be very difficult.

Remember the four things that God tells us here in verses three through six. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He chose us before the foundation of the world. He predestined us to adoption and he made us accepted. So in summary of that quick presentation, which I'll touch on a little bit more, but here's the summary of it. I chose Kim.

Before we really knew each other. I predestined her to be my wife. I made her accepted when I said I do. And guess what? Now she is blessed with every blessing in being able to spend the rest of her life with me, right? It's true. I can only say that because she'll be in second service. I'll have to change my story then, but...

Let's look at the first thing. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. In verse 3, it says, 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. Now notice, that's the emphasis. It's always in Christ, in Him. It's all about Him centering around Him, Him bringing everything together. But He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing is what Paul says. This is something we need to know that God has done for us.

So what are spiritual blessings? Well, they are just that. They're spiritual blessings. It's important to notice that. They're not material blessings. You may get that impression if you watch some televangelists or listen to some ministers. But he's blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Although He does bless us materially in that He provides for us, material blessings is not the focus of God. Spiritual blessings are the focus of God. And that's what we are going to be studying over the next several weeks. Many of the spiritual blessings that we have received, that He has given to us as a result of our faith in Him. But of course, we will not fully know them.

or understand them, experience them, until we are in heaven. And we get to spend the rest of eternity figuring out all of the spiritual blessings that God has given to us. Eternity is definitely one of the spiritual blessings that God has given to us. In 1 Peter 1...

Peter says, There's an inheritance. There's a spiritual blessing that's reserved in heaven for you. An inheritance which is

eternity with him and all of the blessings and the riches that he has for you. Spiritual blessings also speak to us about grace and forgiveness and redemption and relationship, eternity with him. All that comes with being a child of God. As a result of being a child of God, we're blessed with every spiritual blessing as a part of his family. Just like Kim. Listen,

She gets to be something that none of you can claim. She gets to be a Simmons. And there's something special about that because it's only for the select few that they get to be called by the name of Simmons. Not many can say that. Anybody here, can they say that? No, you can't say that. It's a special position. Now, as a Simmons, she gets all of the blessings that come with having that name and being in that family. All of the rights and the privileges.

Now, in our case, there's none. But with the Lord, that's a completely different story. Listen, if we were a wealthy family, she would be a part of it. If we were a political family, she would be a part of it. If we were an influential family, she would be a part of it because now she's

As part of that family. She's received all the spiritual blessings that come with having that name. In the same way, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And that we get all of the privileges, the rights, the blessings that come with being a part of the family of God. And we could go on and on and on about this, but we must move on and look at the other three things. The spiritual blessings. The first thing, we have received every spiritual blessing.

In Christ Jesus. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. That's amazing. Let's move on though. Number two. What else has God done for us? Well, he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Notice the emphasis again. He chose us in him. He gave us every spiritual blessing in Christ. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. That's what verse four tells us.

This is a wonderful thing that God has done. I have been chosen in him before the foundation of the world. Before the world existed. God knew who I was. He knew who I would be. And he chose me. He knew that you would be just like you are. And he chose you. We're chosen by God. It's like back in grade school. Remember when...

You're in some game, you're in some competition, and it's time to pick the teams. They name the captains, and they start to pick. Now, you always want to be picked when they're picking teams, right? You never want to be the one that's the last one, and you just... I wasn't really picked. I mean, it was just automatically assigned, right? And if you were picked...

sooner, you know, the sooner you were picked, the cooler you thought you were and everybody else thought you were too. Because if you're picked first, they know that's important. You must really be awesome. You must really be good at this. Listen, I was chosen before the foundation of the world. Before the world even existed. You were chosen. I was chosen in Him, in Christ. God has chosen us. He picked us, not late in the game.

But even before the game ever started. And that really makes you special and it really makes me special. God picked us before the foundation of the world. Now this is where people begin to have a problem. They say, wait a minute. That's not fair. Because if he chose us, then that means he didn't choose others. He chose us and therefore he didn't choose others. He left others out. He didn't choose people.

But here's where I say you need to watch out because that's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible never teaches that God chooses some and does not choose others. That's an assumption that we make when we try to figure things out on our own and try to make the logical conclusions within our own mind and understand the concepts ourselves. But it's an assumption. It's a conclusion that is not true.

And then starts the argument. Well, how could that not be true? Logically, if you follow it through, if God has chosen some, then it must follow that he has not chosen others. And that's not fair for God not to choose others. And that's why they cannot be saved. But again, that is not what the Bible teaches. Does the Bible teach that he's chosen some and not chosen others? No. What does the Bible teach?

Mark 16, 16. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. The Bible teaches that the choice is ours. He's given us the choice. Whoever believes will be saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned. John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Whoever. It's not only for those who are chosen, only for the elect, but it's for whoever. Whoever.

Any of us, anybody in this world who believes will not perish but have everlasting life. John 5, 24, Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life.

We see over and over, time and time again, it's whoever, whoever. Acts 10.43, The Bible is very clear. Whoever wants to be saved, all they must do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will be saved. If you need to be saved, that's what you must do.

That's it. That's the only requirement. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And whoever does that, whoever puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, they will be saved. Now, the Bible teaches that he chose us, but that but it never teaches. And it doesn't mean that we do not have a choice because we see the scripture clearly says we have a choice. Whoever believes will be saved. I chose Kim before we really knew each other.

Why did I do that? Well, because I had the privilege of foreknowledge for the moment. Because God spoke to me while I was on the way to Costa Mesa on the 91th, the 55th. It was very clear. I knew this was the Lord. It wasn't my imagination. It wasn't a hopeful thing. I already knew. And so I chose her before we even really knew each other. Sounds crazy. I know. But listen, I wouldn't have chosen her if I didn't know I was going to marry her.

That sounds bad, I know. But it's true. I wouldn't have. But I had the privilege of foreknowledge for that moment. And so I chose her. In the same way, God knows everything. And he has always known everything. He never learns anything. He's always known everything. He's never surprised. You know, even though I knew that and I chose Kim because I knew that God had told me that she was going to be my wife. Yet, you know, when I asked her and whole leading up to the whole evening, I

It was very nerve-wracking. Because there's always the thought, well, what if she doesn't say yes? What am I going to do with the ring? I mean, do I get a refund? How does that work? I don't know. Can I just mail it in? I don't want to show my face at the counter, you know. Oh, she didn't say yes. But God isn't like that. God's not, well, this is what I know is going to happen. And then he's like hoping, like, I hope it turns out that way. God knows. He has complete confidence. It's not even a question. He knows everything.

Because he knows everything. He has foreknowledge. And we cannot understand that. And that's why we have a problem with this whole idea of God choosing us. When we try to force it to make sense in our heads, then that's when we get in trouble. We have no idea, no concept of what it's like to have foreknowledge, to know ahead of time. Do you ever wonder, like, does God think?

Does it take him long to think? Does it take him longer to think about something a hundred years ago versus a hundred years from now? How does God think about? We don't know. We cannot understand. We cannot grasp that aspect of God because he's God. He is way beyond our imagination and our ability to understand. But the wonderful thing is that we do not have to understand it. Just believe it and receive it. Believe it and receive it.

We learn that in the book of Galatians. Everything that God has for us is received by faith. It's not produced by works. It's not earned by us in any way. Everything that God has for us is received by faith. And so God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And I receive that simply by believing it and receiving it in faith. He's chosen me before the foundation of the world. Simply believe it, receive it, and it's true.

True. God has done that. And you say, well, I don't believe that that's true because I'm not a Christian. And I don't think that's fair that he would choose some and not choose others. Well, just believe and then you'll find out that he chose you before the foundation of the world and you'll be all right. Believe and receive it. That's all you need to do. It's not contradictory. You don't have to go to the logical conclusion that he has not chosen others.

You simply believe and receive for yourself that God has chosen you before the foundation of the world. Going on to number three, another problematic one for some. He's predestined us to adoption as sons. Verse five, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. So here again, people have problems. If he's predestined some to adoption, then logically he has predestined others not to be adopted.

But again, we are not supposed to try to figure it out, try to make it all mesh together in our head, because we cannot comprehend what having foreknowledge is like. And predestination, the fact that God predestined us, is based on his foreknowledge. It tells us that in Romans 8, 29, for whom he foreknew...

He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. So those he foreknew, he predestined. How does all that work? I don't know. I don't have to know. We don't have to figure it out because it's based on the foreknowledge of God, a characteristic that I do not have and do not have to understand.

It's based on his foreknowledge, him knowing everything already. And so he's predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters. When we come across things that we do not understand, what do we do? We stick to the things that we know, the things that we can understand. Like 2 Peter 3, 9, where it tells us that God is not willing that any should perish. Know that it's true.

God is not willing, it's not God's will that any should perish. God doesn't take pleasure in the death of the wicked, the scripture also teaches us. So understanding predestination, understanding that it's true, but you don't have to follow the logical conclusions that we try to make because that is not the biblical conclusions that we find in the scriptures. John chapter 1 verse 12, we studied it last week in the home studies.

John 1, 12, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. Who gets the right to be a child of God? To be adopted? Those who received him. Those he foreknew, he also predestined. And he predestined us, Paul says here in verse 5, to adoption as sons. But it's those who received him that he gave that right to be called a child of God, to be a son of God or a daughter of God.

It's based on his foreknowledge, but it does not eliminate our choice, our responsibility to believe and receive what he has done for us. Now, again, I predestined Kim to be my wife. I'd already all set it out. I had it all planned out. She's going to be my wife. That does not mean that she had no choice. I didn't force her. I don't think I had to get on my knees and beg and give her presents.

And I ring. I say, will you be? I had to beg her. I say, hey, I'd already predestined her. It was already true. I already knew. The Lord already told me. But I had to ask. And she had to choose. She didn't have to be my wife, even though I predestined her. But I predestined her because I had the privilege of foreknowledge, that I usually don't have, by the way. But I had the privilege of foreknowledge, and I knew it was going to happen. So I chose her and predestined her because I knew she was going to say yes. But she still had the choice the whole time. Are you confused yet?

It doesn't contradict itself. It might not make sense if you try to figure all the ins and outs of it in your head, but it doesn't have to. See, you receive it simply by receiving it, believing it in faith, and applying it to yourself. God gives us choice, and he honors that choice. He does not predestine some to heaven and some to hell. Anybody who goes to hell is there by their own choice.

Not because God sent them there, but because they chose to go. He gives us the choice. And if we choose, we don't want any part of you, God, then he says, okay. And he honors that choice. It wouldn't be a valid choice unless he honored the choices that he allowed us to make. We choose, we want you to be a part of our lives, God. Then he honors that choice and he becomes a part of our life. He gives us the choice. We have, that's an awesome power. We have power.

The power to choose where we will spend eternity. Yet at the same time, he has predestined us to adoption as sons. When we choose him, we find that we've been chosen before the foundation of the world and predestined to adoption. A wonderful mystery. You can't comprehend it, can't put it all together, can't make it all mesh. But it's true. Don't worry about trying to figure it all out and put it all together. Just receive it and believe it.

It's true. God has chosen you and he's predestined you to be a child of his, to stand before him holy and blameless. And that's just such a wonderful concept to me. He chose me to stand before him. That's what verse 4 tells us. Holy and without blame. And one day it's going to happen. As I stand before him, I'll be presented to him holy. I'm not holy. There's lots of things you could blame me for.

But he chose me to do a special work that he would present me holy and without blame. So he's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He's chosen us before the foundation of the world. He's predestined us to adoption. And fourthly, he's made us accepted. Verse 6 says, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved.

I do not have on my own. I do not have anything that makes me worthy to be accepted by God. I can't stand before God and tell him he should accept me because of anything about me. And there's lots of things I list, right? Lots of great things about me. No, I don't have anything that I can present myself to him and say, you should accept me because of this. But one of the wonderful things that he has done for us

He makes us accepted. Not because we're worthy. Not because we're able to live holy and blameless lives. Not because we're able to be accepted on our own. No, because he is accepted. And by our faith in him, he applies that acceptance, that righteousness, standing with God to us.

So we have right standing with God because of Jesus Christ. We have right standing with God in him, which of course is the emphasis all the way through chapter 1 here. In him, to him, through him, for him, before him. Romans chapter 5, verse 1 and 2 says, Notice verse 2.

Of the glory of God. We have access by faith. We can stand before him. Because we've been justified. By faith. We have peace with God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. He's made us accepted. In the beloved. He's made us accepted. No longer. Are we rejected. Because of our sins and our. Shortcomings. The way that we stumble. The way that we fall. But now. Through Christ Jesus. We are accepted. God accepts us. He embraces us.

We have peace with him, perfect relationship with him. Four incredible things that God has done for us. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He's chosen us before the foundation of the world. He's predestined us to adoption and he's made us accepted. Notice they're all past tense, already accomplished. God already did them. They're already settled. It's not something we have to work for, not something we have to try to accomplish. What do we need to do?

Believe it and receive it. Believe it. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing. Believe it. Receive it. By faith. How do you do that? Well, simply, how do you receive? Take it. This is for you. You can say, God has blessed me with every spiritual blessing by my faith in Jesus Christ. You can say that God has chosen me before the foundation of the world. That's not arrogance. That's not presumptuous arrogance.

You've received his gift. You've received Jesus Christ. And so he has chosen you. And think about this. If he's chosen you, guess what? That means you're chosen. That means you'll be successful. That means he'll be faithful to complete the work that he began in you. That means you'll stand before him holy and blameless one day because he's chosen you. You say, well, how do I know if he's chosen? Just receive it. Believe it. And you'll find out that it's true. You've been predestined to adoption.

God picked you and said, I want you in my family. I want you close to me, in relationship with me. How do I know this? How do I know I've been? What if someone else is predestined and not me? No, whoever will may come. As many as received him, to them he gave the right to be a son of God, a child of God. There will never be a case where someone says, well, I chose God. But then they get to heaven and God says, yeah.

Must have messed up the record somehow because you weren't chosen. Sorry, you weren't predestined. That's not going to happen. That's not what the Bible teaches. Whoever believes in him. See, we simply believe and receive these things, these truths, what God has done for us. And they're true in our life. And so we can say I've received every spiritual blessing. I've been chosen before the foundation of the world. I've been predestined to adoption. And I've been made acceptable. I've been accepted by God.

Because of what he has done for us. We could try to figure it all out. We can get upset about it and argue about it. But the reality is this. He did all of these things because he loves us and desires relationship with us. In the same way that I proposed to Kim just a little over two years ago. I knew because God told me. I chose. I predestined. I made her accepted because of what God had shown. What God had told me.

And he has done the same thing for you. And we can argue and discuss and go over and over and over these things. But the whole time he's there, he's kneeling in front of us. And he's saying, I'm not trying to get you to figure everything out and to understand it. I just desire a relationship with you. I want to bless you with every spiritual blessing. Don't try to figure it out. Just believe it and receive it. I've chosen you before the foundation of the world. Just believe it and receive it.

Just know, take great comfort, take great confidence, great joy in knowing what God has done for you. He's blessed you. He's chosen you. He's predestined you. And he's made you accepted because he loves you and he loves me and he desires relationship with us. I hope that brings it into perspective for you so that we don't have to grapple with these things, but we can simply receive the love that he's extending to us.

We don't have to figure out why or how, all the logical conclusions. What we can just see is hand extended. The love that he's offering towards us. The relationship that he's giving to us. And all we have to do is receive it. Receive it. And I'm talking to us as believers, guys. Receive it. We don't have to earn anything. We don't have to work for anything.

The works come later in chapter 4, but they're the outflow of understanding and receiving what God has done for us. See, as I believe this and apply it to my life, that he has blessed me with every spiritual blessing. I don't have to work. It's already past tense. It's done. He chose me. It's already past tense. It's done. He predestined me. It's done. He's made me accepted. It's done. I don't have to work for it or earn it.

Try real hard. No, I simply believe it and I receive it. And the result of that in my life, of holding on to these truths, will be fruit. But I don't have to worry about them or manipulate them or try to work them up. It's just automatic. I don't even have to worry about those things. First, I need to learn these truths. I need to learn that He is here before me, offering to me truth.

Himself, His love, His relationship. Just like you and I would offer our love and our relationship to someone close to us because we love them. And we could have all kinds of arguments. Well, why do you want to marry me? Why do you want to love me? Don't worry about that. Just believe it and receive it. God has such wonderful things in store for you. So many blessings. He's chosen you, which means you're a winner.

You're going to make it. He's going to be faithful to complete the work in you. He's predestined you, which means that you're a child of God. You're part of his family. He's made you accepted, which means you don't have to worry or dread about standing before him. He's going to present you holy without blame. You're accepted in God. You've got eternal life by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Man, God is amazing. He is incredible. And that's just a taste of what is to come. Let's pray. Heavenly Father,

You are amazing, God. You're wonderful. Lord, these concepts, they're hard for us to grasp, to make out, to understand. Lord, but I thank you that you didn't call us to understand them. And it doesn't matter if we understand them or not. We can still receive them. We can still believe them. These promises that you've given to us, this work that you've done for us, already accomplished. So, Lord, like the psalmist, we say our hearts, we're not lofty, our eyes aren't lifted up.

And that we're trying to figure out and understand everything in order for us to believe it. But Lord, we just simply receive your word now. That you've blessed us and chosen us and predestined us and made us accepted. Lord, we receive it and we believe it and we say thank you, God. Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for continuing the work in our lives. Thank you for all that you have in store for us. Lord, may the outflow of that impact our lives.

that we may share with others these wonderful truths, that they may receive them as well as they believe your word and apply it to their own lives. Thank you, Jesus. It's in your name we pray. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.