Ephesians 1

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on

the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, ìBut we did not yield in subjection to them for

even an hour ,î so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isnít for

you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial.

Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as weíre called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and

glory of her King.

Hereís our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond that we ask or think, according

to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.

That is Ephesians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21, and today, dear congregation, we embark on a new

series.

We are going through the book of Ephesians, so please turn your Bible to the book of Ephesians, probably one of your favorite letters.

I thought about going through Ephesians chapter by chapter, kind of as an overview, but

Steve put a little bug in my ear, so hereís what I think Iím going to do.

Instead of three or four years through Ephesians, which would be our normal course of events, I think Hebrews took us how

many years?

Four decades, was that right?

Iím going to go two messages per chapter, and youíll see even if you look at Ephesians, thereís two sections,

major sections, usually in each chapter, and so my plan, at least now, is in the next 12 Sundays here at Bethlehem

Bible Church, to teach you through the book of Ephesians, so that you might understand it better.

I think this faster pace will complement the slower going that we normally do, which has been our custom

for over 25 years, and even when Pastor Bob Bowen was here.

I also want to wet your taste buds.

I want you to think, ìOh, he went into some detail, but Iíd like to go into greater detail ,î and then you can pick up

a commentary, maybe, a Lectio Continuum commentary series, thatís the name of a series on Ephesians, or maybe you

pick up a study Bible and read it, but Iím kind of trying to get you to have like a little appetizer here,

not go through every detail.

The other reason I want to do this is we have lots of new people at the church, and you, if you are, have been around for

a long time, or youíre new, you need to understand the foundations of the book of Ephesians, because itís critical for

our church to grasp these truths.

Now Ephesians chapter 1, itís pretty simple.

It has three sentences.

The preface, verses 1 and 2, is one sentence.

Thatís not shocking.

Verses 3 through 14 actually is one sentence in the Greek.

Thatís kind of shocking, because 202 words, thatís a long sentence, even without a main verb.

And verses 15 through 23 are also one sentence in the original,

three sentences, and so today weíll probably get through about half of Ephesians 1, and I feel like I

just want to get some WD -40 and spray it on the spines of your Bible, so off we go to the

races.

Youíre going to feel the pace pretty fast, because to get through all these verses, Iím going to have to do that.

Iím going to challenge people that listen online at 2 .0 speed to repent and to

slow down.

Youíre going to notice, dear congregation, that the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul is going to talk about truths

about who God is in Christ Jesus.

Heís going to get to the morality section, how to, if you will, theological implications of that truth,

later.

John Owen said, ìOur greatest hindrance in the Christian life is not our lack of effort,

but our lack of acquaintedness with our privileges .î So Paul wants you to know the

incorruptible and unsearchable riches of Christ.

He wants you to be encouraged.

Iíd like to encourage you in this series, thatís why Paul sent Tychicus to the church at Ephesus.

Remember, what does Tychicus mean?

Does anybody remember what Tychicus means in chapter 6?

Lucky or chance.

If I had another dog, I might have to name that dog Lucky or Chance, just because, well, we can call it now, thereís Pot

Providence, thereís Pot Blessing, and Pot Tychicus.

Itíll all work well.

He sends this guy named Lucky to the church to say, ìAll right, these are your riches, donít forget what you

know .î So letís look at the first sentence in the book of Ephesians, that is verses

1 and 2, and weíll just call this the preface.

Itís super simple, youíre very familiar with it, but sometimes I think we read this first sentence too quickly.

ÌPaul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and

are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ .î Heís writing to people that some call, that some

say are in two zip codes, the earthly zip code in Ephesus, and the heavenly zip code

in Christ, and so heís writing to two groups of people.

Of course, we understand that we are in West Boylston, weíre also in Christ,

and Paul, the apostle, is the writer.

Itís so interesting to me that liberals say Paul didnít write it, and so I just go with what the text says, ìPaul, an

apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, I just save you from going to Princeton Seminary .î

It saved you $100 ,000 right there per year.

If you look at chapter 3, verse 1, same thing, ìI, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of Gentiles .î Paul is writing this, itís

called a prison epistle, and why is it called a prison epistle?

Because he wrote it in prison, along with other letters like Philippians and Colossians.

Heís in Rome, and he wants to write to some churches to encourage them, and this is one of those churches.

Paul, the apostle, the sent one by God, he used to be a man full of rage and anger

and wanting to kill Christians and persecute them, and now heís sent by the Lord Jesus for

a different purpose.

Heís writing to those who are at Ephesus, and I want you to remember, dear congregation, these are normal people, these are

people that are aggregarian for the most part, theyíre blue -collar, theyíre regular folks,

theyíre not the intelligentsia, although many of them are very smart.

These people are just like us that heís writing to.

They struggle with sin, they struggle with temptation, they hear the world saying, ìFollow

me .î They know about Satanís strategies, and Paul wants them to

know thereís a greater wonder of the world than this Diana of

Ephesus.

She was there at Ephesus, sheís huge, sheís one of the seventh wonders of the world, of the ancient world,

four times the size of the Pantheon in Greece, and there she looms large over Ephesus,

and people praise her, and people shout after her.

But what about us as Christians now?

We feel the persecution, we feel the issues, so Paulís been sent by God

to tell the church things like this verse, too.

This is how the book ends, by the way, as well, essentially, ìGrace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ .î.

Well, thatís the preface, very simple.

Now letís go to the praise, and this is an exciting praise, by the way.

How many of you snuck out illegally and lit fireworks New Yearís Eve, willing to admit it?

You are good soldiers.

How many would watch other people light them illegally?

See, whatís the difference?

You need this letter.

Itís like this burst of praise, really.

Now, Paul, 25 years ago, got saved, but he hasnít gotten over it

that he, a sinner, is now going to enjoy the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.

Twenty -five years later, donít we regularly say, you know, you get the brand new Christians, and weíve got some here, theyíre all

excited, theyíre fired up, and weíre like, ìWhoa !î Just calm down.

You can be old and boring like me after youíre a mature Christian.

Now, just kind of take it easy.

But Paul is fired up.

And youíll notice in this section, verses 3 through 14, what we call the praise, itís very

Trinitarian, because when you think about God, you ought to think Trinity.

You should never think of one God without thinking about three persons.

You should never think about Jesus without thinking about the Father and the Spirit.

One God, three persons in section, verses 1, 3 through 6, is about the Father,

choosing.

Verses 7 through 12, itís about the Son, redeeming.

And verses 13 and 14, itís about the Spirit, sealing.

Everything about this is the work of the triune God, choosing, redeeming, and sealing.

Do you notice verse 6?

ÌTo the praise of the glory of His grace .î.

Thatís like a Roman candle shot blast.

Thatís why we do this.

And itís like a firework, because I saw some that were illegally lit on New Yearís Eve.

And you stand there, and it shoots up.

And youíre like, ìOkay, Iím waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting .î.

And then it just explodes, doesnít it?

And what do most of the people do that watch?

Ooh, thatís right.

Verse 6.

Boy, if somebody walked in, theyíre like, theyíre off the deep end.

I thought they were cessationists here.

Ooh.

Thatís verse 6, ìTo the praise of His glory .î.

Thatís verse 12, ìTo the praise of His glory .î.

Thatís verse 14, ìTo the praise of His glory .î.

I mean, can you imagine?

The Father chooses.

Wow.

When you understand election as a Christian, youíre like, ìThat takes me aback .î Jesus died for my sins.

Verses 7 and following, thatís amazing.

The Spirit seals me to the day of redemption.

I could lose my salvation easily.

If I could lose it, I already lost it.

But the Spirit makes sure weíre safe.

So everything in this section is about praise.

Paul, the Apostle, wants you to learn how to praise this way.

One writer said, ìThe cross is the great incentive and encouragement to obedience .î If

Christians are reluctant or half -hearted in their obedience to Christ, the answer, listen,

ìThe answer is not to press them with a flood of exhortations, but to speak of Christ, His

cross, His salvation .î Chapters 1, 2, and 3, in other words.

ÌThe root reason our faithfulness and obedience are so often less than they should be is because weíre

disconnected from the Savior .î.

In other words, itís, ìWell, we want to just start doing something versus remembering who God is

.î So you say, ìIíd like to obey better in a particular area .î Paulís not going to let you forget.

It starts with a view of the triune God.

And everything in this section here, if you look at verses 3 through 14, called ìThe Praise ,î youíll see the

words ìin Christî or ìin Himî sprinkled throughout.

ÌUnion with Christî, ìtogether with Christî, youíll see it in verse 3.

Verse 4, youíll see it in verse 9.

Verse 10, two times.

Verse 12, verse 13, two times.

ÌIn Him, in Him, in Him .î Godís got this great plan.

He works it in Christ Jesus, and He does it to the praise of His glory.

And thatís going to work for praising God.

Thatís going to work for Jews and Gentiles together.

God had planned that.

Weíll see that in a couple weeks.

How do marriages work?

God has planned that.

Itís in Christ Jesus.

He does it to the praise of His glory.

In addition, this section here, called ìThe Praise ,î I love because it has nothing to do with me, except me

being the recipient.

I live in a Mike -centered world.

You live in a Mark Skipperis -centered world.

Iíll pay you the dollar after the service.

But Paulís not going to let you just be absorbed with self.

We know what happens when we are, and Paul doesnít want us to do that.

Paul wants us to see that this God -centered section is about Godís plan, Godís provision, Godís

protection.

And every other word you can think of that starts with a P.

Provision, His pleasure.

And he starts off in verse 3.

ÌBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ .î Thatís where we get the word ìeulogy .î Eulogy just means

to speak well of.

Itís a very Jewish feel that Paul is writing in Greek, but of course he understands Hebrew.

And he just says, you know, God has so much weight.

We talked about that last week.

Heaviness, glory, cavode, gravity, clout.

Heís got so much of this that heís got to talk to people about it and say, ìGod, youíre worthy to be praised

.î And so he starts off with this great blessing.

And God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

I liked it when Jesus talked about how God doesnít dole out in piecemeal or some kind of chintzy way.

Jesus said in Luke 6, ìGive and it will be given to you.

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, theyíll pour into your lap .î

Thatís how God gives, and thatís what this blessing is.

Iíll never forget it when I was a kid, so maybe I can talk to some kids here on the second row.

Do you ever open up your favorite cereal box?

Captain Crunch.

Does your dad let you eat Captain Crunch?

Oh.

Whatís the CDC number again?

DSS number.

CDC.

Why is CDC on my mind?

And you open up the box, and itís brand new, and you look in there, and is it filled all the way to the top?

No, itís not.

But thatís not how the Lord gives.

He doesnít give like Kelloggís.

I mean, really, we mirror this kind of praise even with the doxology.

ÌPraise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father ,î verse 3 to 6, ìPraise Son ,î 7 to 12, and ìPraise Holy Ghost ,î 13

and 14.

This is a hymn of praise with three stanzas.

And it starts off with the Father choosing.

Look at verses 4 through 6.

ÌYour salvation, dear Christian, is planned in eternity past, even as He chose us in Him before the

foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ according to the

purpose of His will.

To the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved

.î Paul does not say, ìWeíre talking about election and some people are going to get offended.

Weíll push it to the back .î Before he praises the Father for the Sonís redemptive work, heís

praising God for election.

Heís praising God for predestination.

These dear people needed to understand who God is and what Heís done.

Some people, when it comes to election, they seethe.

Theyíre so angry.

What do you mean to tell me?

What they like in themselves choosing, they choose their own spouse, they choose their own favorite football team, they choose

their own food that they love because theyíre image bearers, theyíre little sovereigns, and what

they love in themselves, choice, they hate in God.

What do you mean to tell me God chose Israel, He didnít choose anybody else?

He chose only those twelve apostles and nobody else.

What do you mean He chooses some and not others?

Paulís not mad about that.

Paulís glad about that.

Show me a mature Christian and Iíll show you a Christian that says, ìPraise the Father because of the Son, and I

praise the Father because He chose me .î Because of election and predestination.

Everybody here has to at least agree, there it is in the Bible.

He chose us, He predestined us.

Did the Spirit of God make a mistake putting that in?

Did He somehow fumble or something?

I mean, this is kind of, this is a family secret.

We talk about this after youíve been in the church for three or four years and we kind of slip it in because you might get too mad.

And the reason why we get mad, we all get mad, because this is a spear through our hearts of pride.

I mean, Herman Melville hated this doctrine so much.

He writes, ìMoby Dick, fall of the house

of Usher .î Itís over.

Paul though, he praises.

He chose us, verse 4.

He predestined us, verse 5.

Now letís make it very personal.

If youíre a Christian here, God chose you.

If youíre a Christian here, God predestined you.

Thatís pretty amazing to think about.

Because when I was a kid, we used to play basketball.

And if you wanted to play basketball, youíd have to keep winning at that college gym.

And if you lost, youíd have to wait for two hours to play.

You might as well go home.

So you picked four other guys to win with, because you had to run that table.

And you think, well, I know what Iím like.

I know Iím sinful and frail and weak and finite.

God chose me.

God chose me.

That is amazing.

He predestined you.

He willed you to be saved by His own free will.

God chose you.

What does the word ìchooseî mean?

It means thereís a bucket of apples here, and you pick one and you donít pick the other.

Thatís what that word means.

He chose.

And He has the right to do that, does He not?

Does not the potter have right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use

and another for common?

Of course.

God chooses for Himself.

Not every person was a Levitical priest.

Thatís just the way it works in Godís economy.

Not everybody is a prophet like Jeremiah.

Calvin didnít invent this doctrine.

Augustine didnít invent this doctrine.

I didnít invent this doctrine.

This is who God is.

Heís a choosing God.

And look what happens in verse 4.

He says, ìOh, God will look down the course of time, then choose me .î What does it say right there?

ÌBefore the foundation of the world .î Thatís when God decided, as it were.

Thatís when God chose.

Before the foundation of the world.

For Paul, this means praise.

For us, it should mean praise.

That we, verse 4, do you see it? Should be holy and blameless.

Not that we were.

God didnít choose us because we were.

Make that clear, Paul.

Yes, you are making that clear.

That we should be holy and blameless before Him.

God knew all about you.

All your skeletons in your closet.

And God still freely chose you.

Now, when I was growing up, we loved Nebraska football.

And we are actually good then.

And, I mean, when WPI has a football

team in the bowl games, and Nebraska doesnít, you know, things have slunk to a very

dismal level.

We had a guy named Lyle Bremser.

And he was the announcer.

He was like your Johnny Most of the Celtics.

For those of you that know the Celtics.

Who just died for the Red Sox announcer?

Remy?

Somebody.

Theyíre not from Nebraska.

It doesnít matter.

And this guy would watch Johnny Rogers, the Heisman Trophy winner, run a punt back.

And hereís what he would say.

This was his signature line of praise.

Man, woman, and child, heís gone.

Itís just fun to say.

I never thought Iíd say it from the pulpit.

For Paul, he just canít stop.

This is the praise.

I could ask you the question and make it a preaching moment.

Whenís the last time you said, God, thanks for choosing me?

Thanks for electing me?

Thanks for selecting me?

Thank you for predestining me?

Thank you.

Itís supposed to be praise.

You say, well, I donít praise God for that.

May I challenge you as a friend, as a preacher, to study this more?

You say, well, the reason why I donít like election makes people live unholy lives and blame -filled lives.

Uh -uh.

Whatís the text say?

Look at it.

That we might be holy and blameless before Him.

Thatís a false charge.

It doesnít debilitate us when it comes to morality.

It gives us a reason to live.

Itís the purpose.

Weíre going to find out in Chapter 2 in a couple of weeks.

Weíre dead in sins.

We canít choose anyone.

Someone has to choose us.

You say, thatís the most unloving thing Iíve ever heard.

That God chooses some and doesnít choose others.

Remember, everyone deserves to be damned.

But He chooses some.

Why?

Whatís the motivation?

Do you see it in verse 4 and early verse 5?

It says He predestined us in verse 5.

But it says at the end of verse 4, ìIn love, He predestined us .î

Well, you know, that makes people robots.

Friends, the text says, ìIn love, He predestined us .î In love, He predestined

us.

Spurgeon said, ìWhat amazes me is not that God does not choose everybody, but rather that He chose me .î

I used to call this my second blessing.

When I first got saved, I realized, Iím forgiven.

Iím right with God.

And my second blessing was not speaking in tongues.

My second blessing was, ìI canít believe God chose me .î

You say, ìThatís arbitrary .î No, what does the text say?

ÌIn love .î The loving nature of predestination.

Election is an expression.

Predestination is an expression of Godís love.

So, I canít understand it all.

Itís okay.

But for you to deny it or say itís not true or complain about it, thatís not okay.

I donít know the mind of God.

Heís infinite.

Iím finite.

He goes on, verse 5.

Look at the language of this.

ÌHe predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself .î Probably know

that old song, ìIím the son of a king .î He predestined me

and He predestined you, dear Christian, to adoption as a son or

a daughter.

God has sent forth His Spirit, Galatians 4, 6, of His Son into our hearts, crying, ìAbba,

Father, I deserve to be damned .î.

Hey, when the angels sin, not one of them got a redemption plan.

Itís right for God to judge sin.

Itís never unfair for God to judge sin.

But itís mercy, grace, and love for Him to rescue sinners.

And itís only because of grace, verse 5, ìAccording to the kind intention, not of my will, not of my free

will, but of His will .î.

And what does all this cause Paul to do?

What should every Christian do when they realize, ìIím supposed to go to hell, but God chose me and loved me and

predestined me to the praise of His glorious grace, which He freely bestowed on us

in the Beloved .î I just love that, ìKind intention toward me, freely bestowed toward me,

grace toward me, toward you .î.

See, Iíve got to figure out election.

Thereís only so far you can go before you say, ìReason takes me this far, and Iím going to have to trust on the revelation of God,

His good pleasure .î I love that.

Is there injustice with God?

Iíll give you another quote from Jesus, Matthew 20.

ÌIs it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?

Or is your eye envious because Iím generous?

Jacob I loved, Esau I hated .î.

What should we say then?

Is there injustice with God?

May it never be.

You say, ìWell, this really destroys evangelism .î.

No, it does not.

This is the only way evangelism works.

That God has chosen certain people, and you preach the gospel to them.

These people are slaves to sin just like you were before you were a Christian.

These people canít repent of sins that they love without the working of God.

Hereís a little challenge.

If you hate the doctrine of election because you think it messes up evangelism, would you do a little church history study?

Because of almost every single one, a few exceptions, but almost every single famous missionary

and evangelist believe this doctrine.

I can only think of a couple who didnít believe in this doctrine.

Jesus said in John 6, ìFor this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to me unless it has been granted him from

the Father .î.

Arthur Pink has some interesting things to say.

ÌHey, hey, this doctrine of evangelism is kind of like, ìWe like a meal, weíre

cold, weíre hungry, please give us something to eat God .î.

ÌNo, no, get away from here, you donít belong here .î.

And then Pink said, ìNow here is the truth, God has spread the feast, but the fact is nobody is hungry

and nobody wants to come to the feast and everybody makes an excuse to keep away from the feast .î.

And they say, ìWe do not want to, weíre not ready yet .î.

Now God knew that from the beginning.

And if God had not done something more than spread the feast, every seat at this table would have been vacant for all

eternity.

Michael Horton said, ìWhen you give in to election, we finally give up on ourselves in

the matter of salvation .î.

Itís just a matter of pride.

Thatís why people tend to oppose it.

I know what youíre asking.

Youíre asking, ìAm I elect?

How do I know if Iím elect?

How could I know if Iím elect ?î Answer, if youíre trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith alone in the

risen Savior, youíre one of the elect.

So, well, I better study election to know if Iím elect.

Why donít you look to the Lord Jesus and trust in Him?

Then youíll get the answer.

Now the praise moves from the Father to the Son.

Do you notice in verse 7 through 12?

In this praise sentence, we start off with the Father choosing, now we move to the

Son redeeming.

Hereís where people tend to start, but theyíre not really thinking in a Trinitarian way, but for Paul,

thatís how Paul thought.

He praises God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ for choosing, and

now heís praising the Father for what the Son has done, verses 7 and following.

ÌThe attention, as it were, some say, has shifted from heaven to earth.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,

which He lavished upon us in all wisdom, insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to

His purpose, which He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite

all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him, who

works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we, who are the first to hope in Christ, might be

to the praise of His glory .î This could be fireworks,

or this could be you walking over to Niagara Falls, or the Grand Canyon, and just being in awe of general

revelation.

Except this is special revelation, we couldnít know unless God told us.

And now he just starts launching about what God the Son has done, and why heís to be praised

for it.

Remember Polaroid cameras?

You can get them now at Salvation Army, pretty cheap I heard.

No, I think theyíre out again.

You take a picture, and it would come out of the very bottom, remember?

What did you do if you wanted it to develop faster?

I think thatís against the rules.

First youíre all going, ìAh, now everybody in the congregation is doing this .î Much better interaction than last week for certain.

Itís like youíre standing there, this thing is developing.

It doesnít just end with the Father to be praised for choosing, ìOh, I see that thing developing, itís coming into clarity, and now

the clarity is about the Son.

In Him we have redemption .î By the way, thatís very exclusive.

Not in Buddha, not in Muhammad, not in Joseph Smith, not in Ellen G. White, not in, you know,

sheís got so many marriages I forgot all her names.

Mary Baker, Eddie Clover, Patterson Fry, not in any of those people.

Not in my own education, not in my own religious work.

Itís in Christ.

No salvation in anyone else.

If you want to get to heaven, itís through Jesus alone.

In Him.

No Plan B, no other options, no pluralism.

If youíre in New Zealand, in the year 3000 if it exists,

or if youíre on Patmos in 90 A .D., it has to be through Jesus.

This is where redemption takes place, in the person of the Son.

That is why 1 John 5 is true.

The one who believes in the Son has the witness in himself.

And the one who does not believe, God has made him a liar.

Because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son.

Itís in Him.

Salvation is in Christ alone.

We sing that song.

We have redemption.

You notice He says, well itís not just exclusive, itís effective.

You might have redemption if you tread water to the end of your life.

You might have a little bit more redemption if you are on that gerbil treadmill.

No, no, you have redemption.

If youíre a Christian now, youíre redeemed.

I was a slave to sin, Iím now redeemed.

Not just temporally like Israel was, out of Egypt, but I am redeemed.

Present tense verb by the way, I currently stand redeemed.

I donít have to say, you know what, Iím almost redeemed, I could be redeemed, I hope Iím

redeemed.

No wonder we sing songs like, We donít sing, I hope Iím redeemed,

and I hope I love to proclaim it.

I hope Iím redeemed, I hope Iím redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

No wonder B .B. Warfield said, there is no one of the titles of Christ which is more precious to Christian hearts

than Redeemer.

Whenever we pronounce that word, Redeemer, the cross is placarded before our eyes, and our hearts are

filled with loving remembrance, not only that Christ has given us salvation, but He paid a

mighty price for it.

He is the ransom price.

And do you see that ransom price right there, verse 7?

Through His blood.

What was the cost of my salvation?

What was the price of my redemption?

His blood.

Just like Charlie was saying, we have this word, and itís kind of, yes itís blood, but itís not

white cells, red cells, etc., etc.

Itís a word, thatís a condensed word, thatís got a lot of theological meaning, and it means this,

vicious, vicarious, substitutionary death, including letting blood, but not just blood letting.

When you sing, power in the blood, or nothing but the blood of Jesus, youíre not saying, you know what, if people

just whip Jesus enough, and some of the blood splattered onto my face, Iím saved.

Thatís not what it is.

Without the shedding of blood, thereís what?

No forgiveness.

He had to shed blood, but this is theological shorthand for Christís substitutionary sacrifice.

ÌBecause life is in the blood ,î Leviticus 17 says.

1 Peter 1, ìYouíre not redeemed with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood,

as Lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ .î This is theology of blood.

God did not just say, ìLet men be forgiven .î That would have been unjust.

You say, ìWell, just how extensive is this

forgiveness?

How magnanimous is His blood?

Do you see verse 7?

ÌThe forgiveness of all our trespasses .î Iíve said it many times before,

Iíd have to go to bed at night, and I would try to go through every sin I ever committed, and to confess it, because if I didnít

confess all my sins before I went to bed, and there was one left, I thought I was going to go to hell.

Thatís awful theology.

Itís good theology that says, ìIíd like to confess my sins before I go to bed .î But itís awful to think, if I donít confess my sins,

and do it in its entirety, then Iím off to hell when I die, if I die in my sleep.

This is past, present, future.

This is omission, commission.

This is thought, word, and deed.

All sins paid for.

That means, okay, Paul is praising God, and heís praising God, because every single one of your sins

is paid for.

ÌTheyíre out of sight ,î Micah says.

ÌTheyíre out of reach ,î Micah says.

ÌTheyíre out of mind ,î Jeremiah 31 says.

ÌTheyíre out of existence ,î Colossians 2.

ÌTheyíre as far as the east as from the west ,î Psalm 103.

ÌAnd theyíre cast behind His back ,î Isaiah 38.

I read Romans 4 for a reason, because it quoted Psalm 32 to start the service.

ÌHow blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven !î Do you know how blessed you are to not have to pay for your sins on

Judgment Day?

Do you know how blessed you are not to be Judas?

You could be Judas.

I could be Judas.

And Jesus said, ìItís better for that man not to be ,î what?

ÌBorn .î Weíve had death in our family, in our church family, and over the years, and we

will all die and face the Lord.

And thereís only one God who forgives sins.

Donít you love Micah 7?

Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity?

If you were God and somebody sinned against you, what would you do?

I know what I would do if I had the power to do it.

But God is extravagant in His grace.

Look, there it is.

ÌAccording to the riches of His grace, which He had lavished upon us, full measure,

not fractions, not decimals, full and free .î

Paul loves to talk about, in other books, the riches of His kindness, the riches of glory, the riches of Christ.

And here itís the riches of forgiveness.

Wesley wrote, ìTis mercy all immense and free, for, O my God, it found out me .î

So Paul is praising.

Paul is not afraid to do that praise.

He just keeps piling it on.

ÌWhich He lavished ,î verse 8, ìupon us, in all wisdom and

insight ,î thatís interesting, ìmaking known to us the mystery of His

will .î Mystery means, not mysterious, ooh, spooky.

Mystery means, God knows something we donít.

God knows it, we could never know it.

Thereís two kinds of knowledge in this world.

The knowledge that God knows, we could never know all that.

And the knowledge that God lets us know.

And God has let us know things, and thatís called a mystery, now revealed.

We wouldnít know all this if God didnít tell us.

We wouldnít understand the details if God didnít show His hand.

But Heís revealed that mystery.

Why?

Because He knows it fuels praise.

He knows it makes people go, ìI cannot believe such a God would save .î He

knows it ignites your evangelism, because if God can save me, the chief of

all sinners, well, what about grandma?

What about your son?

What about your neighbor?

We can know this.

It could be true, and we wouldnít know it.

But itís true when God says, ìIím gonna tell you about it .î These are things 1 Peter 1 says,

ìAngels long to look into .î They stoop down, they canít figure it out.

How could God redeem?

How could He have this plan of salvation?

I donít know if itís true or not, but I know people love to have relationships restored with their father or their mother

or friends.

Even in the church, when the church has a little friction and youíre restored to your brother or sister, it just feels so good.

I donít use illustrations that often from books or anything, but I remember we had a man here named Paul Lavery, and

he used this in our preaching class once, and I thought, ìJust to be forgiven by Father, what does that mean

?î Story told in Spain of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become

strained.

So the son ran away from home.

His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son.

Finally in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper.

The ad read, ìDear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon.

All is forgiven.

I love you, your father .î The account reads, ìThe next day at noon,

in front of the newspaper office, 800 Pacos showed up.

They all were seeking forgiveness and love from their fathers .î If thatís

true on a human level, isnít that the longing of our heart?

The Creator that made me?

God who sustains me?

That God who gives me breath?

Iím okay with Him.

Weíre fine.

Iím forgiven.

To hear that from your earthly father, ìI love you, youíre forgiven .î would be a good thing to hear, if

youíve transgressed.

But to hear from the heavenly father, ìYouíre forgiven .î And I declare to you, basis on the Word of

God, if youíre a Christian, dear Christian, God loves you and youíre forgiven.

Forever forgiven.

ÌLong my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and natureís night.

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray.

I woke the dungeon flame with light.

My chains fell off, my heart was free.

I rose, went forth and followed Thee, with a skip in my step.

He made known this mystery of His will, according to verse 9, according to the kind intention which He purposed in Him.

God wanted you to know this truth.

He wants you to know about election.

He wants you to know about redemption.

He wants you to know about salvation and its mysteries.

He wants you to look back at the Old Testament and say, ìThatís what it was pointing to.

I see the shadows and types now much clearer that I see what He was talking about .î ìHeî,

verse 9, ìmade known to us the mystery of His will .î This is the greatest story ever told

and Heís made it known.

God alone disclosed it and revealed it for us to praise Him.

Okay, is this like a jazz?

Is this Miles Davis or what?

If itís Kenny Loggins, youíre fired.

If itís Miles Davis, Iíll let you live.

Iím not doing this as the person who did it.

Iím doing that in myself.

What are we doing here?

I hope you kind of get what Paulís doing.

You sense what his heartís like.

Hereís this Christian killer.

Could anybody be redeemed from any kind of sin?

Paulís an example.

No wonder in 1 Timothy he talks about that.

ÌIím the chief of sinners .î And then he gets saved and he just canít stop it.

And what I said earlier, ìI really believe .î You say, ìWell, Iíve got problems in life with my kids, with my

spouse, with work .î.

Thatís chapter 5 and 6, right?

Dealing with other people, in church unity, chapter 4.

Those things are real and they need to be addressed, but do you see how Paul front loads it?

Do you see what he starts off with before he gets to any kind of sanctified living?

ÌThe eyes go to the Lord, the triune God, and when He thinks of the one, He thinks of the three.

When He thinks of one of the three, He thinks of the one .î.

And next week weíre going to pick up in verse 10 a verse that Martyn Lloyd -Jones says is

the key to understanding the entire purpose of the epistle.

But thatís going to wait until next week because now we need to be reminded of what the Lord has done for us at the table.

Bow with me, please.

Thank you, Father, for Your Word.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with

every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,

that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will,

to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has blessed us in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to

the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making

known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ.

In Jesusí name.

No Compromise Radio, with Pastor Mike Abendroth, is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West

Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible -teaching church, firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of

Godís Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us.

Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6.

Weíre right on Route 110 in West Boylston.

You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by

phone at 508 -835 -3400.