1. This word is used exclusively of God in N. T.
a. Word used in Matt. 5 is a different word
(markarios) which means happy or blessed
b. When David says, bless the Lord of my soul he
is eulogizing God. He is speaking well of Him.
2. When we bless God it is in thought and word
a. When God blesses us it is in word and deed
b. We speak well of Cod, He does well by us.
B. The Subject of the Eulogy
1. Cod the rather and the Lord Jesus
a. It takes the entire epistle to tell us why He
is going to eulogize God and Christ.
b. He recognizes God as Father nor God as a force
c. This God is Father but He is also Lord Jesus
Christ.
d. The saving one who is the Anointed of God
C. The Reason for the Eulogy
1 He bath blessed us, notice it is past tense some-
thing he has already done and will continue to do.
2. These blessing are spiritual as opposed to material
a. Our greatest needs are not physical but spiritual
b. In Christ we have received a new nature and a
renewed spirit.
c. Since God has implanted within us a life that is
eternal that life must be nourished and developed
d. Remember the human personality consists of spirit
soul, and body.
e. That order cannot be reversed. God starts within
and works to the outside
f. Never forget that your greatest needs are spiritual
when we forget that we are in trouble as a Christian
3. These blessings are in the heavenlies
a. The source of every blessing is heavenly
b. This is so because God is there. Our savior came
from there. It is from heaven the Spirit came.
(Acts 2:2-4) Christ ascended and is seated there
c. Since heaven is the seat of His power
(1.20) there every blessing comes from that
hemisphere.
4. These blessing are also said to be IN CHRIST
a. Being in Christ means a number of thing
d. First of all it is a Difference of POSITION
Prior to our conversion we were in sin but now
we are in Christ.
c. Secondly it denotes a Difference in PRIVILEGES
we are placed as His sons (1:5) we are accepted
fully in Him (1:6) we are completely forgiven (1:7)
1 This is salvations Source
a. Salvation is not the result of my choice but His
b. Jesus corroborates this in John 15:16,19
c. Word close means to pick for oneself
2. Before foundation of World
a. That is salvations History
B. The Reason for Predestination
1. Simply stated; it was to Reveal His good pleasure of
His will
2. Vincent translates it-because it pleased Him
a. The reason God does anything is His good pleasure
Phil. 2.13 - Luke 12:32 - Rev. 4:11
3. To magnify His Grace
a. God did not have to choose us, nor did he have
to love us, nor was He honor bound to accept us.
b. Why did he do this for us? Because He is a
gracious and benevolent rather
c. we don't deserve all God has done for us but
He has done it anyhow
a. That my friend is GRACE
4. To Provide our Acceptance
a. Accepted what a gracious word this is
b. Those dead in trespasses and sins (2:1) accepted
c. Those who were children of disobedience (2:2)
accepted
d. Those who had indulged their lusts (2:3) accepted
e. Those who were without Christ (2:12) accepted
f. Those who had no hope (2:12) accepted
g. Those who were far off (2:13) accepted
5. The whole of God's work is by and for Christ
a. Grace and peace from Christ (1)
b. All spiritual blessings are in Christ (2)
c. Chose us in Christ before the World began (4)
d. Adopted as sons by Jesus Christ (5)
e. Made us accepted in the Beloved(6)
f. Redeemed and forgives through Christ (7)
C. The Picture of Adoption
1. In Roman world the family was based on Fathers power
a. Under Roman law a father had absolute power
over his children as long as they lived.
b. A Roman father could sell his child, even kill
him
c. With a background like this, the adoption of a
child especially from one family to another was a
serious step
2. The Ritual or Adoption
a. Twice the real father sold his child twice be
symbolically bought him back
b. The third time he was not bought tack but became
the property of the adopting father
c. After this the adopting father appeared before
the magistrate to legally record the transaction.
d. When the adoption was complete it was complete
indeed
e. The one adopted had every right of the natural
Born son. He not only gained all the rights in
his new family he lost all the rights in his old
family.
f. In the eyes of the law he was a new person so
new any debts or obligations connected to his
previous family was so fully canceled, it was
as if they never existed.
g. This is in picture or type what God has done
for us in fact
3. We were under the power of sin and God through Christ
Freed us from that power.
a. He has canceled out all the horrible debt of
sin that stood against us.
b. We have Fasted from the family of lost mankind
into the family of God with all its privileges.
4. To The Holy and Blameless
a. This is salvations Purpose
b. Holy and blameless is: to be wholly separated to
God and to be counted free of any blemish..
c The One who has chosen us is the very One who has
declared us holy and blameless
d. Note it is not before men that we are declared to
Be so - but before men.
B. He predestined Us
I. He predestined us to be placed as adult sons
a This is our position my virtue of the fact that He
has chosen us to be so.
b In regeneration we receive the nature of a child
of God in adoption we receive the position of a
Son of God.
c. Roman law gives us a picture of what adoption is all about.