The Church and the Glory of God ~ 20170115 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

01/15 The Church and the Glory of God [Ephesians 1]; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170115_church-glory-of-god.mp3


We have been looking for the last two weeks at the purpose of the church. We have seen from the book of Ephesians that the church is meant to be rooted and built on the astounding truths of our identity in Christ as believers totally dependent on the mercy and undeserved grace of a good God. We are to know together, "to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" (Eph.3:17-19).

We as the church are to live in a manner consistent with the gospel and with our new identity as saints in Christ Jesus. We are to put off the old ways that are inconsistent with that, and to put on the new attitudes, new ways of thinking, new ways of feeling and living that are consistent with who we are in Christ Jesus. (Eph.4:17-6:9)

We as the church are to be diligent to guard our unity in the gospel (Eph.4:1-6).

We as the church are to use what we have been given in love to build one another up (Eph.4:7-16).

We are to be equipped for works of service. For building one another up. For unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God. For maturity. For the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We are to be equipped against immaturity, against false doctrine, against human cunning and deceitful schemes (Eph.4:12-13).

We as the church are to stand firm, with prayer, in the gospel realities that belong to us in Christ (Eph.6:10-20)

Our focus for the last two weeks has been on who we are as the church, and what we are to be about. Today, I would like to take several long steps back and look at the big picture of why.

What is to be our ultimate goal? What is the reason we do everything we do? Through what lens should we view everything?

We find the answer in Ephesians 1. The very first thing Paul says after greeting the Ephesians is 'Blessed be God.' He begins with a benediction or eulogy. Literally a good word; eu means good and logos means word; to speak a good word of God, to praise, to adore. God is to be blessed. God is to be spoken well of. God is to be blessed because he has blessed us with every blessing. God is to be spoken well of because he has spoken well of us when there was nothing at all good to say, because in Christ he has made us good. God is to be blessed. God is to be glorified. Blessed be God.

To the Praise of his Glorious Grace

We could ask the question of our ultimate goal from a different perspective. Why does God do what he does? What is his ultimate goal? If we can understand what motivates God to do what he does, we would do well in adopting the same motive.What is the reason God does everything he does?

Ephesians 1:3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Why does God do what he does? We bless God in response to his blessing us. He chose us so that we would be holy and blameless before him. He predestined us for adoption according to the purpose of his will. What was the purpose of his will? To the praise of his glorious grace. God chose us, God adopted us, God blesses us, not because we did anything to deserve it, but to the praise of his glorious grace. His grace, the outpouring of unmerited blessing and favor is astounding and worthy of all praise. His grace, the freely given unearned riches of goodness in Christ Jesus is glorious. God does what he does according to the good pleasure of his will, to put his own marvelous character on display. God's choice of you, his purpose to make you holy and blameless in his presence, his adoption of you as his own sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, is moving toward a bigger purpose. It is all 'to the praise of his glorious grace!' It is not about me. It is not about you. We are blessed beyond measure in the process, we receive inestimable benefits; but it is all about God! We are trophies of his grace, ultimately to put his gracious character on display. It is all 'to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us; literally 'with which he has graced us in the Beloved'.

Grace Lavished

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 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, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Jesus, God's only Beloved Son, purchased us with his own blood, Jesus secured forgiveness for all our trespasses with his own precious blood. Our forgiveness, our redemption was "according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us." God is rich in grace.

His love has no limits,

His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of his infinite riches in Jesus,

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. [Annie J. Flint, 1866-1932]

God's grace is rich enough to forgive all our collective trespasses. God's grace is made to superabound to us, the saints, the church, to put on display his great great grace. We live as forgiven, redeemed people to display his excessive grace.

To Unite All In Him

God makes to abound to us his grace,

Ephesians 1:8 ...in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

What is the mystery of his will? What is his wise purpose? What is his plan for the fullness of time? To unite all things in him. It is not about us! It is all about Jesus! God's good pleasure that he purposed in Christ, the mystery of his will made known is to sum up all things; heavenly things, earthly things, all things; nothing is excluded; his purpose is to bring all things together in Christ the head. All things without exception are purposed to bring Jesus glory.

To the Praise of The Glory of the Son

11 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, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Our inheritance, our destiny is worked together by the one who works all things according to the purpose of his will. God's will, God's purpose, God's counsel is that we be to the praise of his glory. We exist to the praise of his glory. We whose only hope is Christ, we the saints, we the church, exist to magnify his glory. This is a clear purpose statement. 'So that we might be to the praise of his glory.' God's purpose for us is that we ultimately exist for the praise of his glory. Our purpose as a church must fall in line with God's purpose for us; we exist for the praise of his glory.

To the Praise of The Glory of the Spirit

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

We heard the truth, the good news proclamation of our salvation. We believed in Jesus. Hearing and believing we were sealed. God placed his mark on us, he marked us out as belonging to him. The seal is no ouward mark, but he sent his Holy Spirit to live inside us. God the Holy Spirit is our security deposit guaranteeing the full possession of our inheritance. This Holy Spirit deposit guaranteeing the full possession our graciously promised inheritance is to the praise of his glory. God is praised as God who makes fully good on all his staggering promises.

Triune Glory

Look back over this passage. Three times we have seen this phrase 'to the praise of his glory.' God the Father has blessed us and purposed us to be in his presence, to the praise of his glorious grace. Our purpose as those who hope in Christ is that we might be to the praise of the glory of Jesus. We who believed were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit as we wait to take possession of our inheritance, to the praise of the glory of the Holy Spirit. This is trinitarian praise to the glory of our triune God!

The Glory of God in Ephesians

Look down at verses 15-23. Paul gives thanks and prays for the saints, that 'the Father of glory' would give us wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, that we would know the hope to which we are called, the riches of his glorious inheritance in us, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us. And then he points us to Christ, whom God exalted far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named. God gave Jesus as head over all things to the church, his body. We need spiritual strength to perceive the immeasurable greatness of God toward us who believe. The goal of it all is that Jesus be exalted over everything.

Look at chapter 2 verse 7. Paul lays out our utterly hopeless condition and God's rich mercy, great love, and amazing grace,

Ephesians 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God saved us in the way that he did, in order to eliminate any potential of boasting on our part, and in order to display for eternity the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us. God brought about our salvation in the way that he did, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, in order that all glory would go to God alone. We are indeed put on display as his workmanship!

He goes on in chapter 2 to describe the unity that God brought about through the gospel of the cross between Jews and Gentiles. We grow up in Christ Jesus, joined together as a holy temple to the Lord, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. God is glorified in his temple, as we the temple are knit together in unexpected unity.

In chapter 3, Paul speaks of his being a minister of the gospel as the gift of God's grace, given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light this mystery that Gentiles are members of the same body, partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel. The purpose of displaying the inexplicable unity of Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ is given in verse 10.

Ephesians 3:10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

In the church, the many faceted wisdom of God is put on display for all the angelic hosts to see. In 3:14-19 he again prays to the Father that we would be strengthend by the Spirit to comprehend together the immeasurable love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, and he closes his prayer with a doxology;

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever. The glory of God is the church's great aim.

In chapter 4, he encourages our unity, humility and love, and points us to the "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (v.6) and to Jesus, "the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things" (v.10). We as the church are to grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, grow up into Christ the head who joins us all together in love.

He concludes some practical exhortation in chapter 5 the will of the Lord, being filled with the Spirit,

Ephesians 5:19 ...singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The will of God for the church is Spirit filled worship and thanksgiving. At the end of chapter 5, he talks about marriage, but his attention is still on Christ and the church. Christ's goal in the salvation of the church is

Ephesians 5:27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Jesus is looking to that great day when we the church will be presented as a pure virgin to Christ.

In chapter 6, we are to fight the good fight of faith in the strength of the Lord with the power he gives, and in all dependence of prayer, to demonstrate that the victory belongs to the Lord, so that the Lord alone gets the glory.

Romans 15; Glorify with One Voice

I'd like to look as we close at a very practical passage in Romans 15. Paul is dealing with our tendency to pass judgment on others in the body over secondary issues. He says:

Romans 15:1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

We are not to please ourselves. We are to bear with the failings of others. We are to seek to please others for their good, to build them up. We are to live in harmony with one another, in tune with Christ. Our ultimate purpose?

Romans 15:6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

This is a gift of God. God grant us encurance and encouragement to live in such harmony with one another. Glorifying God together with one voice. Not in monotone unity all singing the same note, but in a beautiful multifaceted harmony, all in tune with our one Lord Jesus Christ.

God's glory is primary. God's glory is the ultimate purpose of the church. Why do we as the church do what we do? To the praise of his gloryious grace. Why do we not do what we don't do? To the praise of his glory. The glory of God must define all that we do. What can we use to filter every decision? Will this bring glory to God in the church? God's glory is the purpose of creation, of redemption, of everything. We as the church must seek to fulfill God's purpose that we sing his praises and enjoy the supreme glory of our triune God in his presence for all eternity.


Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org