A. There is a simple way to divide this passage. All of the blessings of this passage gather round the persons of the Trinity.
1. There is the work of the Father (1:3-6)
2. There is the work of the Son (1:7-12)
3. There is the work of the Spirit (1:13-14)
B. Remember all of these are available to us in the realm of the heavenlies.
1. That does not refer to heaven but to the invisible realities of our life now.
2. It does reach into eternity but it is something to be experienced now, in the inner life.
3. He is referring to our thought life, our attitudes where we feel pressure, struggle
and disappointment, that is all part of the heavenlies.
4. The heavenlies include the realm of conflict where we deal with mental and
spiritual temptations of the enemy.
5. It is the realm of those deep urges in us which create either a restlessness or
a sense of peace depending 'an their source
6. All the blessing of these verses are ours in Jesus Christ if you are not a Christian
you cannot claim these benefits.
7. In Christ there is nothing keeping you from enjoying the benefits of all of them.
8. That's why it's important that we discover what they are.
II. Two Great Facts
A. I would like to begin that discovery by considering the two great facts concerning
the work of the Father.
B. First, he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (1:4)
1. We are dealing with what theologians call - doctrine of Election.
2. We were chosen before the world began in Christ.
3. How can this be? How can God choose us when we are told to make a choice?
4. In John 6:44 - Jesus said; No one can come to Me unless the Father draw him.
5. God has to initiate the activity. But you might remind me what Matt 11:28 says, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
6. That means that it is up to us to come - Which of these facts are true! They both are true, though we cannot reconcile them.
7. We struggle with the timing - was it Dec 17, 1954 that I was chosen to be in Christ. That is the date of my conversion
8. No, we are told we were chosen before the world began.
B. We must realize that when we deal with an Eternal Being in whom there is no past or any future - we are dealing with a person who is only a great eternal NOW.
1 He is able to read the future as clearly as the past because both are events already known to God.
2. We can only sit in amazed wonder and say- How great Thou Art.
3. Do you realize what that does for our identity as Christians.
4. It means we are not after thoughts in God's working.
5 We are not accidental members of His body. There are no second class citizens
in Christ. We are all equal all chosen to be members of His family.
III. What Is the Purpose of It All
A. The purpose of all of this is that we are to be holy and blameless.
1. God says He chose us for that reason. Now let me ask you a question;
Are you holy?
2. We hesitate to apply that word to ourselves, the reason being we don't know
what it means.
3. We think it means a religious sanctimoniousness and none of us can claim that
kind of high religiosity.
4. But a study of the book of Leviticus reveals that holiness means wholeness and
something devoted to the Lord for his use.
5 When your body works well, we say you
are physically whole.
6. When you as a Christian function the
way you are supposed to, you are holy.
7. Wouldn't you agree Paul was holy, Peter was holy but they also had a serious
confrontation about law and grace.
8. They were not sinless, yet they functioned' as Christians in such a way that we
agree they were holy.
B. Let 5 consider the other word - blameless.
I. Most of us refuse to think of ourselves as blameless.
2. The reason - we know we have done things for which we could be rightly blamed.
3. But we are confusing blamelessness with sinlessness.
4. Never having done anything wrong is sinlessness.
5. But you can be sinful and still be blameless.
6. How can that be? By handling your sin in the right way.
C. Let's say you did something or said something to injure someone else.
1. Afterward you acknowledged it, confessed it and apologized for it.
2. There is nothing more you can do. From that point on you are blameless. You are
not sinless but you did handle it rightly now you are blameless.
3. You're holiness and blamelessness are to be reckoned true even though you do
not feel that they are.
IV. A change In the Family (verses 5-6)
A. Here is a partial explanation how God makes us to be holy and blameless. lie does it
through a change of family relationships.
1. He destined us to be sons - King James says adoption as sons.
2. Adoption means leaving one family and joining another.
3. Leaving behind all that was involved in the first family and assuming the name,
characteristics, and resources of our new family.
4. We all belonged to the first family of Adam, we have left it and through Christ
we belong to a new family.
B. As a family member of this new family, my heavenly Father is my source of wisdom,
strength, and supply.
1. The Father is now living in me as really as the life of Adam was living in me.
2. I am now a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new.
3. New because I have a new life and a new Head.
V. Why Should He See Anything In Me to Motivate Him To do all of This.
A. He doesn't see anything in us. The ground His choice is in the kind of God He is.
1. He destined us to be sons according to the purpose of His Will.
2. It is entirely of God. His love began his will purposed it, and it was His good pleasure to do it.
3. It all results in joy. It brings joy to God and joy to us, just knowing we are the sons of God.