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ephesians chapter one i'll begin reading in verse one paul an apostle of jesus christ by the will of god to the saints who are in ephesus and 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 with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in christ 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 having predestined us to adoption as sons by jesus christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accept it in the beloved in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might uh might gather together in one all things in christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him in him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will that we who first trusted in christ should be to the praise of his glory in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the holy spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory therefore i also after i heard of your faith in the lord jesus and your love for all the saints do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the god of our lord jesus christ the father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all amen let us pray father again we thank you for your word we thank you for this book of ephesians and the great things that it tells us concerning the father son and holy spirit in the matter of salvation give us grace to receive these things and give us gratitude as we respond to these things and as we rehearse the gospel of our salvation may we just stand in awe the wonder of god most high reaching down to miserable hell-deserving sinners and giving us life eternal in christ jesus the lord forgive us now for all of our sin guide us by your holy spirit and we pray in jesus name amen well remember that verses 3 to 14 are one long sentence the apostle is essentially praising god most high for the work of salvation he says in verse 3 blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ and he highlights specifically what the father's role is in salvation he chose us he predestined us and then in verses 7 to 12 and this is an airtight the father is still referred to in verses 7 to 12 but the accent falls upon the redemptive work of jesus christ in verses 7 to 12 and then 13 and 14 highlight the work of the holy spirit in terms of applying what christ accomplished to the elect of god so you have movement from the covenant of redemption and eternity past to the covenant of grace in terms of the application of redemptive benefit we see that tonight specifically in verses 6 b and 7. that will be our focus tonight essentially what we have in terms of the redemptive work of the sun in the first place we see the initiative of the father we didn't deal with verse 6 be last time we will tonight so i want to look at the initiative of the father in verse 6b and then the redemptive work of the son this continues on as i said from to 12 we'll just look at verse 7 tonight but just to sort of show you what paul is doing in verses 8 to 10 specifically our salvation affects us our salvation is a cause for rejoicing our salvation is a cause and an occasion for us to worship and glorify and praise god but it's not just the salvation of individuals that is in view here notice in verse 8 he highlights the wisdom of god this redemptive plan is according to god's wisdom in verse 9 he highlights the revelation of this plan to the moral order and then in verse 10 he tells us that there's a cosmic purpose behind this so yes individual salvation but then notice in verse 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things in christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him we have this cosmic purpose of god most high in terms of the universe in terms of its final disposition turn over to chapter 3 for just a moment you see the same sort of an emphasis notice specifically at verse eight the apostle says to me whom less than the least of all the saints this grace was given that i should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of christ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in god who created all things through jesus christ notice verse 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of god might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places so the redemption wrought out or secured by jesus christ has an individual aspect we receive benefit and we are blessed as a result but in the the the the grand scheme of it all all of the elect of god all of the work of christ all of the things undertaken by our triune god redowns to his praise and his glory and to his exaltation so back to ver chapter one as i said we'll look at the initiative of the father in verse six b and then the redemptive work of the son specifically in verse seven there's a lot to unpack there but notice in the first place we had the purpose of god the father revealed in verses four and five he chose us in him before the foundation of the world in love having predestined us uh to adoption as sons by jesus christ so we move from that pre-temporal foundation to history we move from that back uh backdrop to the work of christ in history and then later on the spirit of christ giving us or applying this in terms of the redemptive benefit so notice the blessing of election the blessing of adoption comes to fruition in the work of our savior the initiative of the father is seen in verse six to the praise of the glory of his grace now notice by which grace or in which grace he made us accepted in the beloved so god takes the initiative there now the new king james took a bit of liberty with reference to this translation it's a bit interpretive the new king james margin i think is a bit better it's literally he bestowed grace or favor upon us the particular verb in view is simply that to cause to be a recipient of a benefit to bestow favor on to favor highly to bless so when the new king james says by which he made us accepted in the beloved that's the end game that's the result that's what obtains that's what occurs that's what happens but the actual language of the verse is better found in the margin he best bestowed grace upon us in other words it was his initiative it was his work it was his undertaking we didn't ask for grace we didn't petition for grace we didn't call out for grace but rather god gave us this grace and this repeats a pattern that we see from the most high from the very beginning when adam and eve sin they try to hide themselves from god it's god who initiates it's god who comes to them in the call of abram out of ur the chaldeans it's god who initiates it's god who comes to him remember the event at babel in genesis chapter 11. they wanted to build a tower they wanted to make a name for themselves they wanted to reach up into the highest heavens well god confounds their lip and disperses them into various nations and then in the call of abraham we see the corrective to what man and sin in genesis chapter 11 does we see god's initiative all throughout the psalms in terms of prophecy concerning the coming of the messiah we see the initiative of god in the prophets especially in the servant songs of yahweh in isaiah 42 isaiah 49 isaiah 50 isaiah 53 it tells us in isaiah 53 10 it pleased yahweh to bruise him or to crush him putting him to grief in other words it was god's initiative behind the redemptive plan it's not our initiative it's not our free will it's not our choice it's not what we want it's what god has determined in terms of the salvation of sinners when we move to the new testament we see the same emphasis remember jesus with zacchaeus jesus says to zacchaeus make haste and come down and all of the people grumble because zacchaeus was a really bad sinner zacchaeus was a tax collector he was not a favored one in that society not just just as much as we don't like tax collectors in our own day oh yeah we love them because we're supposed to but they're not our favorite people because they take our money from us so zacchaeus was one of them zacchaeus was likely a jew working for the roman government taking taxes from jews and giving it to the roman government and what zacchaeus announces in terms of his own repentance indicates that he had taken some off the top for his own pocket so when jesus saves him the people grumble because that shouldn't be the case it shouldn't be the really nasty and notorious and vile and wretched sinners see we always operate according to no grace we operate according to well he's a bad guy he deserves hell he's a good guy he deserves heaven the bible tells us there is none good there's none righteous there's none who seeks after god there's none among us that deserves anything except god's wrath and curse both in this life and that which is to come so what does jesus say in luke 19 10 he says for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost we see the initiative of god in terms of the salvation of sinners turn to acts chapter 2. same sort of an emphasis this god who be graced us in christ or made us accepted in christ is the god who undertakes to initiate this whole salvation that we have received notice in acts chapter 2 at verse 23 him talking about christ being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of god you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death so they are culpable they are responsible he indicates and underscores that their hands are lawless and therefore they're liable to punish men but it's according to the plan of god he was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of god that's why isaiah can say in 53 10. it pleased yahweh to bruise him he has put him to grief yes men did the act yes men were responsible yes men were culpable for that act but it was determined by most the most high god to undertake on our behalf look at acts chapter 4 same sort of an emphasis in verse 27 for truly against your holy servant jesus whom you anointed both herod and pontius pilate with the gentiles and the people of israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determine before to be done again the emphasis lies upon the initiative of god when a sinner is saved we don't congratulate the sinner we praise god we don't pat the sinner on the back we praise god most high we looked at that text this morning in romans chapter 4. you can look there for just a moment to sort of see the same expression or the same sort of idea romans chapter 4 verse 1. what shall we say or what then shall we say that abraham our father has found according to the flesh for abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about but not before god there's no boasting before god on the part of the saved we boast in god we glorify god we praise god and we magnify his most blessed name turn over to first corinthians chapter one first corinthians chapter one again shows this initiative by god most high for our safety in the lord jesus christ notice in first corinthians chapter 1 at verse 26 you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh not many why mighty not many noble are called but god has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the thing of the wise and god has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the base things of the world and the things which are despised god has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence again brethren we glory in god we praise god the apostle says god forbid that i should most accept in the cross of our lord jesus christ through which i've been crucified to the world and the world to me now notice in verse 30 and this is strictly parallel if we go with the rendition by the new king james by which grace he made us accepted in the beloved it is god who places us by grace in the beloved and verse 7 is going to say as much and as we work through this particular book we'll probably sing that song a lot that last song before the the preaching of the word it emphasizes and highlights our union with jesus christ but how do we obtain that union with jesus christ notice in verse 30 but of him you are in christ jesus not of your free will not of your decision-making capability not by your good works or your merit but of him you are in christ jesus who became for us wisdom from god we could translate this and as that is so he becomes for us the wisdom of god that is righteousness and sanctification and redemption now notice the end game in verse 31 that as it is written he who glories glor let him glory in the lord this is the background is jeremiah chapter nine let not the wise man boast in his wisdom and the rich man boast in his riches but let the man boast who knows his god who knows the compassion and the grace of the almighty so go back to ephesians chapter one so in terms of the father's respon roll at a role with reference to salvation he chose us in him before the foundation of the world he predestined us to adoption as sons by christ jesus and it's by his grace according to his grace that he begraces us in the beloved then he makes us accepted in the beloved that he bestows upon us this favor and this blessing in other words this whole section is an anthem of praise to god almighty for what god almighty has done in the salvation of sinners and it's ultimately we know flowing from not some cold static being but rather it's in love he predestined us god is love according to john the apostle in 1st john chapter four so the initiative initiative of the father is seen in that latter part of verse six so by which he made us accepted in the beloved or by which he freely gave uh grace he freely gave us in the beloved now let's move secondly to the redemptive work of the son focusing on verse 11. i'm sorry verse 7 and there's several observations here first notice the redeemer of sinners the redeemer of sinners is not us the redeemer of sinners is the beloved notice by which he made us accepted in the beloved in him in him is the beloved now he is the beloved of the father as the only begotten of the father who is full of grace and truth we see that in the prologue of john's gospel john 1 18 no one has seen god at any time but the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him this idea of being in the bosom of the father not only underscores consubstantiality with the father in the prologue but it underscores that he is in fact the beloved of the father at the baptism of jesus what does the father announce this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased at the transfiguration in matthew chapter 7 17 that's what the father says of the son this is my beloved son hear him is what he says in matthew 17. so we have by which he made us accepted in the beloved in him the redeemer is christ he is the beloved and he's not just the beloved of the father he's the beloved of the redeemed isn't he don't we love jesus aren't we thankful for jesus don't we praise jesus for what the bible tells us he does when we read in john 10 that he lays down his life for the sheep when we read in john or matthew 20 that he gives his life a ransom for many when we see that inauguration of the lord's supper in matthew 26 he says this is my blood that is shed for the remission of sins for many don't we respond and love and worship and praise so christ is the beloved of the father but he is the beloved of the elect we return love to him who first loved us remember john says that you love because he first loved you at one point in our lives we didn't look at jesus as the beloved now we may not have expressed our contempt we may not have expressed our enmity because we were raised in churches or we had some sort of a religious commitment so we would never never utter our contempt for the lord jesus we didn't love him we didn't see him as altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand we didn't see him the way that the psalmist depicts him in psalm 45 that that blessed sort of royal wedding scene with reference to our savior we didn't love him like we should have and we needed redemption and god redeems us by the beloved and we respond in love to him now notice as well not only the redeemer of sinners but the redemption of sinners and there's several things i want to look at first the objects of redemption who is the we in verse 7. in him we have redemption through his blood are these the people that always do what they're supposed to do no because they wouldn't need redemption are these the people that are as upright as they could possibly be no because none of us are as upright as we could possibly be is the we there a special category of very polished people that god sets his love upon because they're polished people no verse 4 tells us he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame not because we were holy and without blame the we in verse 7 are the we in chapter 2 verses 1-3 notice and you who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature children of wrath just as the others the we are lifeless helpless hopeless sinners look at chapter 2 specifically at verse 11. therefore remember that you once gentiles in the flesh now paul's already included jews in this week jews and gentiles share the same problem they're sinners and rebels against the holy god but specifically paul is addressing these ephesians these gentiles in ephesus and he says therefore remember that you once gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands that at that time was talking about prior to the coming of the lord jesus christ when god's elect was the old covenant nation of israel there were certainly some proselytes ruth the moabitess and others that came into that covenant community but in terms of covenant community it was pretty much confined to the jewish people so notice that at that time you were without christ being aliens from the commonwealth of israel strangers from the covenants a promise having no hope and without god in the world but now in christ jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of christ so going back to 1-7 in him is the beloved it's the redeemer he's the redeemer the lord jesus christ the we are sinners matthew poole says we are hateful in ourselves as sinners but accepted in christ as sons that's the emphasis we find in the bible we are hateful in ourselves as sinners but accepted in christ as sons now notice secondly in terms of this language of redemption look at in him we have redemption there's a presupposition when the author uses redemption or an assumption it assumes or presupposes that we need redemption right we stand in need of a redeeming and gill says redemption supposes captivity and slavery and is a deliverance out of it god's elect by nature are in bondage to sin satan and the law so this language gospel language that we see various terms used by the apostles by the prophets it shows various facets of our salvation reconciliation for instance the apostle uses that language elsewhere what's the presupposition or the assumption behind reconciliation it assumes a breach a breach between god and the sinner reconciliation brings the two warring parties together well with redemption the presupposition is slavery it is bondage it is being in the slave market of sin and so the apostle goes for this to show what we have in our lord jesus christ now thirdly the meaning of redemption itself i think we all understand it at least at a basic level we redeem something well technically it's release from a captive condition release redemption deliverance redemption acquittal also the state of being redeemed doesn't really help us too much we already kind of had that it's a basic dictionary of the greek language john murray theologizes a bit so does leon morris murray says the idea of redemption must not be reduced to the general notion of deliverance it is that but as the apostle uses redemption it's a bit more and we'll see that fleshed out in the text he says the idea of redemption must not be reduced to the general notion of deliverance the language of redemption is the language of purchase and more specifically of ransom and ransom is the securing of a release by the payment of a price notice in our text in him we have redemption through his blood there was a price paid to bring us redemption there was a price paid to affect this redemption so with reference to murray's statement it must not be reduced to the general notion of deliverance god doesn't just snap his fingers and were redeemed no god ordained the bloodshed of our blessed savior as the price paid as the means by which redemption is secured leon morris says it is important to realize that it is this idea of payment as the basis of release which is the reason for the existence of the whole word group in other words he goes beyond the lexicon and he goes to the actual you know extra biblical biblical the usages of all of it says this is foundational to understanding redemption the understanding that there was a price paid and again the emphasis in the text is through his blood we don't have to wonder i wonder what the price was that he used to redeem us from our sins no we see it very specifically this is somewhat consistent well absolutely consistent with redemption in the old testament take that great redeeming work of god most high in terms of the children of israel out of the bondage of out of bondage in egypt in exodus 6 6 god says i am the lord i will bring you out from under the burdens of the egyptians i will rescue you from their bondage and i will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments in other words there's deliverance but there's deliverance through means and when we turn to these passages in the new testament we see that redemption is through the means of the blood of the savior we'll get there in just a moment but look at a few passages to show that this was in fact the price paid look at matthew chapter 20. matthew chapter 20 the words not the exact same but the theme is the the concept is matthew chapter 20 at verse 28 just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many so there's the price paid by the savior to secure the release of the sinner turn over to romans chapter 3. romans chapter 3 same sort of emphasis by the apostle paul romans chapter 3 remember before paul gets to what it means to be justified by faith before he embarks on an exposition of justification by faith in chapter four he first spends time with how justification by faith honors god how justif justification by faith does not compromise the perfections of god but rather god can be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in jesus because you can hear it now well if god just justifies pr people freely based on his grace through faith then that means he compromises his holy law that means he abandons that perfection of righteousness no with reference to the gospel with reference to our salvation it's substitutionary curse barry it's substitutionary atonement christ goes to that cross he bears the penalty for us so the apostle before he starts to detail what justification by faith looks like he wants to tell us and he wants to show us that this does not compromise the righteousness of god notice in 3 21 but now the righteousness of god apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of god through faith in jesus christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god now notice being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in christ jesus whom god set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith now notice to demonstrate his righteousness see we typically think of the cross as the demonstration of the love of god and it is for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son but that same cross publishes the perfection of god's righteousness he hasn't compromised he hasn't lowered the bar he hasn't just sort of wished us into the kingdom but christ lived for us christ died for us and christ was raised for us so the apostle wants to vindicate god before he gets into the detailed explanation of justification by faith notice as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance god has pas god had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time again his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in jesus so you can't come along and say well he's no longer just he he receives wretches like us well he receives wretches like us because the gospel of jesus christ our lord the one who lived for us died for us and was raised again for us look over at first corinthians chapter six first corinthians chapter six again we're dealing with the payment of a price in order to affect redemption redemption isn't just a power move of deliverance but at the very core of meaning is that redemption is a price paid rants up paid in order to secure the release of those whom it was paid for notice in first corinthians 6 at verse 18 flee sexual immorality every sin that a man does is outside the body but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body or do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit who is in you whom you have from god and you are not your own for you were bought at a price therefore glorify god in your body and in your spirit which are god's you were bought at a price what's the price it is the blood shed by the mediator in accordance with the plan and purpose of the father to save his people from their sins there are many other passages that go this same way but back to ephesians 1 verse 7 we have the redeemer we have the redemption the objects are we the assumption behind redemption is bondage and slavery the meaning of redemption is the payment of a price to affect release and then fourthly the means of redemption verse seven in him we have redemption through his blood now that's theological shorthand for the sacrificial death of our lord jesus christ it is the sacrifice wrought by christ on calvary that is the means by which this redemption is affected it is the means by which he purchases us uh perches us purchase us out of the slave market of sin so the redemption of sinners is definitely deliverance but the redemption of sinners is deliverance by the payment of a price goodwin said when god came to deal about our salvation considering us as sinners saith he i will have a full price or i will not save you i will be satisfied to the uttermost now turn to acts chapter 20 where we see the same emphasis in terms of blood being the means by which we have redemption acts chapter 20 verse 28 therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the holy spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of god which he purchased with his own blood i've referred to that the inauguration of the new covenant and the blood of jesus at the last supper it is shed for the remission of sins of many turn over to first peter first peter chapter one you see not only redemption deliverance the means but you see the emphasis on a price paid first peter chapter one specifically at verses 18 and 19. first peter chapter 1 verse 18 well verse 17 and if you call on the father who with who without partiality judges according to each one's work conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your father's but with the precious blood of christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot he indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through him believe in god who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in god so the means by which redemption is affected according to ephesians 1 7 and several other places in the bible it's through the blood of our savior it is through his sacrificial death it is through what he went through and that confirms what we saw this morning in john 17 9. i don't pray for the world but i pray for those whom you gave me out of the world and the the priestly function is twofold it is intercession that means to pray for people but it's sacrifice it is to uh give one's self in that case of christ or give an offering for persons and so we see that particular reference to the elect of god and that is the same that we find in ephesians chapter one and then finally under this head the redemption of sinners noticed the blessing associated with redemption the blessing associated with redemption notice in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins makes perfect sense doesn't it makes absolute perfect sense we're in the slave market of sin redemption involves the forgiveness of sins our sins are forgiven we're no longer expected to be in that slave market if we have been redeemed if we have been forgiven if the price has been paid if the redemption has been wrought the primary boon is seen in this forgiveness of sins it no longer has a just uh uh uh primacy in our lives but rather god has delivered us from that particular situation notice we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins the blessing underscores the problem doesn't it redemption is the forgiveness of sins redemption isn't health wealth and prosperity redemption isn't just a better life in the here and now redemption deals with the heart of man redemption deals with our greatest need redemption deals with what does estranged us or keep us separate from god it answers to that most pressing issue that we're sinners before a holy god as well the blessing highlights the emphasis in gospel preaching so in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins go back to the book of acts for just a moment and see this emphasis in gospel preaching the book of acts is not about going from town to town and preaching to people these five principles on how to be a better you the book of acts is not about the apostles going to various places and saying i've got a surefire way for you to be healthy for you to be wealthy and for you to be prosperous i have a sure-fire way for you to make your life out of the misery that it presently is into something that everybody would envy that's not the focus that's not the accent that's not the stress in the apostolic preaching notice in acts chapter 2 at verse 20 uh 38 then peter said to them repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of jesus christ for what for the remission of sins for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the holy spirit turn over to chapter 3 and verse 19. he says repent therefore and be converted so that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the lord notice in verse 26 to you first god having raised up his servant jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities look at chapter 5 and verse 31 and we are his witnesses to these things and so also is the holy spirit whom god has i'm sorry verse 31 him god has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior to give repentance to israel and what forgiveness of sins look over at chapter 10 and verse 43 chapter 10 preaching to the household of cornelius the apostle peter says to him all the prophets witness that through his name whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins and then paul in passidium antioch according to chapter 13 at verse 38 makes this statement therefore let it be known to you brethren that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins so going back to ephesians 1 we have this blessing associated with redemption it underscores the problem from which we need redemption that is sin and then we see it as the blessing the or the blessing of uh forgiveness highlights the emphasis and gospel preaching ponder the old covenant system as well why the sacrificial system was it to make them healthy wealthy and wise was it to make them more virtuous in terms of a happy uh content life no it was sin it was sin that brought breach between god and sinners remember exodus ends with the construction of the tabernacle it's finished the god uh the glory of god falls upon that tabernacle the shekinah glory is magnified there but moses himself who is the godliest man who is the holiest man an old covenant israel he can't go in to that place so god is dwelling amongst israel but it's not a meeting place yet that's where the book of leviticus comes leviticus 1 to 9 details not only the sacrifice but the preparation of the priests so that they can affect this particular process to bring sinners to god and to meet with him in that holy place sin is the problem christ is the answer and this blessing of the forgiveness of sin should evoke the response of gratitude it should evoke from us a response of praise and worship and adoration so in verse seven we see the redemption uh the redeemer of sinners it's him in him the beloved we see the redemption of sinners but then notice finally the end of verse seven the riches of god's grace in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace see that's the recurring emphasis in the sac what does paul want us to do when we finish chapter 1 verses 3 to 14. yes he wants us to bless god he wants us to worship and praise god and what is one of the primary reasons we do so it's because of his grace and i as i mentioned this morning in our study in the confession i think this phrase the riches of his grace works two ways it obviously highlights the infinite bounty that is in god it's not just grace it's riches of grace there's never a time when the saint will exhaust the grace of god we may try we may labor with our remaining corruption we may engage in the seven times seventy coming back fetching fresh grace fetching fresh forgiveness but we'll never exhaust god we'll never deplete god there's no end in terms of the riches of his grace but i think it also signifies something about us see the sinners described in chapter 2 verses 1 to 3 grace is good but the riches of his grace is even more amazing he has infinite bounty for wretched despicable miserable cretans that stand liable to his just judgment here and in the age to come but there are riches of grace to be had in our blessed god it is never exhausted by the creature listen to john 80 he says god's grace has unbounded liberality much is expended many sinners of all lands ages and crimes are pardoned fully pardoned often pardoned and frankly pardoned but infinite wealth of grace remains behind see we can use up certain resources quite easily god can't use up the riches of his grace that's a blessed divine cannot one man has rightly referred to those things god can't do as divine cannots you have a divine cannot in titus chapter one god cannot lie when your child says are there things god can't do of course there are things he can't do he can't lie ii timothy 2 he can't deny himself and ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 he can't exhaust the riches of his grace there'll never be a time when we come to fetch grace and god says you know i've used it all up i'm i'm all spent look over at james chapter one that's the argument from james for us to pursue wisdom from god now not grace but wisdom but just the same sort of analogy notice in verse 5 if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of god who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him he gives to all liberally and without reproach the old king james has he doesn't uh break you what does that mean god doesn't stand in judgment when you come to fetch wisdom say again you're here again i mean sometimes i have to admit as a parent i probably engaged in that kind of rhetoric you're asking me again you didn't secure that privilege prior you didn't keep a hold of that particular object you need it again i would upgrade them i'm sorry but i'm a sinner and i stand in need of redemption but god doesn't do that he gives to all liberally and without reproach apply that same idea to grace the riches of his grace listen to goodwin he says when you come and see your sins told out before you set in order before you and piled as high as heaven and as low as hell thanks the poor soul where is the wealth where are the riches where is that that shall forgive these sins here it is here is the riches of grace told out before you here is the blood of the lord jesus christ manifested to you riches of grace thou need us not bring one penny god is rich enough what should ust thou bring thy duties or anything to the forgiveness of sins here is riches of grace doth it not a penny of ours get but faith it is the key to unlock this treasure and to possess these riches there are multitudes of sins here are multitudes of mercies goodwin was right on that's the apostles commendation of the grace of god to very needy sinners like you and i in conclusion we see not only the purpose of the father in ephesians 1 4 and 5 eternity past but we see that fleshed out in history the theology behind it or in latin terms you have the pactum salutus that refers to the covenant made between the persons of the godhead to save his people from their sins then you have the historia salutus that's the the work of the lord jesus christ that is his life his death his resurrection in time and space and then we are more familiar with the ordo salutus the order of salvation the application of those redemptive benefits by the spirit to our specific case now theologians didn't make that up that's exactly what paul is doing in ephesians chapter 1. he goes from eternity past to the present to show what christ has done and how the spirit applies that work to the case of needy sinners you see it in second timothy chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 and then in the opening to titus and titus chapter 1 verses 2 and 3. just look at that one we'll skip the second timothy reference but look at titus chapter one there's this movement from eternity past to the application of redempted benefit so verse one paul a bond servant of god and an apostle of jesus christ according to the faith of god's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness in hope of eternal life which god who cannot lie promised before time began notice the promise was before time began but has in due time manifested his word through preaching which was committed to me according to the commandment of god our savior we are right there look at second timothy 1. i said we wouldn't but we're right there can't can't bypass that notice in chapter 1 verse 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in christ jesus notice before time began but has now been revealed by the appearing of our savior jesus christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel so back to ephesians 1 we see that these are not theological constructs without any biblical foundation these are theological constructs that flow out of exegetical work it is the bible that dictates and demands that we understand things in that particular manner so we see the purpose of the father we see the glory of the son the glory of the son is the beloved he's beloved to the father to be sure but he's beloved by the elect who have been redeemed through his blood what is the legitimate response for the blood-bought child of god that has the holy spirit love to christ we sing that in sometimes more love to thee oh christ more love to me to thee the idea behind that is not this is what we bring we're so loving but it's more of a petition or a plea or a prayer god increase my love for the savior let me see him the way the bride sees the bridegroom in the song of solomon as altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand the beloved of the father and of the elect the redeemer of those given to him by the father westminster's shorter catechism asks who is the redeemer of god's elect the only redeemer of god's elect is the lord jesus christ who being the eternal son of god became man and so was and continues to be god and man in two distinct natures and one person forever and as we see in this passage as we see throughout scripture this one laid down his life for us it was through the shedding of blood that we have redemption it is through the shedding of blood that we have remission from sin hebrews 9 22 without the shedding of blood there is no remission he says later in chapter 10 the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin they prefigured they typified they pointed forward to the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world and then one final observation at a practical level is the consent consistency between jesus and paul people throughout the history of the church have tried to try to put a wedge between jesus and paul sometimes people say oh paul ruined the religion of jesus paul came along and taught it in a way that jesus never intended it do you see any difference between the exposition this morning in john 6 and what we find in ephesians 1 you see any difference whatsoever in terms of theology all five points of calvinism are five points of calvinism are in john 6 guess what they're all here in ephesians 1 3-14 paul was not at odds with jesus paul was not the developer of christianity and took it in a way that jesus never intended if you've never met that opinion good i'm glad that you've never met that opinion but that opinion is out there that opinion has been held that opinion teaches we want the idealism of jesus who just taught us to wander around the countryside loving our fellow man not that forensic justification by faith that the apostle paul comes and teaches on brethren paul is expounding jesus paul is explaining the gospel paul is telling us the theology behind it paul takes the data of christ lived christ died christ rose again and paul explains its significance turn to first corinthians chapter 15 for just one quick moment first corinthians chapter 15. brethren i declare to you verse 1 the gospel which i preached to you which you also uh which also you received and in which you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast that word which i preached to you unless you believed in vain notice for i delivered to you first of all that that which i also received that christ died christ died as history for our sins is theology paul explains the significance behind the death of jesus jesus explains the significance behind the death of jesus he gives his life as a ransom for many so paul and jesus are consistent again follow up follow along christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and that he was seen by cephas then by the twelve you have this historical report and then you have the theology to explain it yes there was a man jesus of nazareth yes this man lived yes this man died yes this man was raised again but the bible not only tells us the facts of history but it gives us the theology behind the history it interprets for us the significance of that gospel and it tells us it's for our sins there's no inconsistency between jesus and paul no inconsistency between paul and james the author of scripture is one it is god most high he certainly used a whole host of people to write that bible but they wrote his word under inspiration of the holy spirit it is profitable for doctrine reproof correction and instruction in righteousness so paul would have us to praise the god of glory who chose us and predestined us he would have us to praise the god of glory who sent the son of his love to save us from our sins and it is fitting and appropriate for us to do that very thing in light of the fact that we have been accepted or made accepted in the beloved by our god we ought to worship and adore and glorify him well let us close in a word of prayer father we thank you for your word we thank you for what the apostle teaches in ephesians 1 and certainly it leads us i hope to grand thoughts of our great god you are most high you are over all things you are sovereign you not only foreordained us unto salvation by jesus christ but you ordained him as the messiah as the mediator of the new covenant all things were undertaken by a gracious and a merciful god and we bless you and we praise you for that may you go with us now and keep us in this coming week and help us to glorify you each and every day and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation you