Every Spiritual Blessing: Part 1-2

Welcome to delight in grace the teaching ministry of Rich Powell Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Every spiritual blessing. Those two phrases just as he chose us and in him are significantly juxtaposed. It means so much that those two phrases are together who is him well. And speaking of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and what does God refer to him as he refers to him as my elect one in whom my soul delights that gives us all kinds of insight as to why the apostle and the Holy Spirit under his inspiration chooses this word to describe God's disposition towards us and our status in him just as he chose us in him there is no other words in there and this translation is very consistent throughout all translations. It does not say just as he chose us to be in him, he says, just as he chose us in him we need understand what that means and there are three specific inferences that come from this phrase. Remember, this phrase just as he chose us in him that phrase is a word that encapsulates God's disposition toward us and our status in him. So when he says as he chose us in him. There's three inferences that I want to cover here and there from the context of all Scripture. From here and from the rest of revealed scripture, particularly in the New Testament but from the Old Testament as well. The three inferences are this number one preference.

He has a preference for us. Why because we are in Christ, we are in Christ. Go back to, you know, dealing with our kids.

You ever see a group picture I have kids scattered all over the world right and you see a group picture and there's like maybe a dozen to 20 people in this group and I know that my child is in this group right and I look at the picture was the first thing I'm looking for my child know will get all the others out of who they are. I will give her my child and when I see my child in the picture I'm looking at them and I look at them. How with great love and care compassionate desire. My child this is how God looks at us. There is a preference there on yours. You look with great affection and desire to God. Listen Christians.

Here we are dealing with the infinite knowledge of God.

God doesn't look down through time. All right, let's erase that thought God doesn't look down through time, everything that there is ever to know everything that has ever happened. God knows all of it right here, right here simultaneously, perfectly, completely, thoroughly, all of it.

He knows it all right here. He knows every human being that has ever will ever exist and he sees them all in one picture and in that picture. There are two kinds of people. Those who are his. And those who are not and he knows them all and he's known them that way from eternity. I say Rich that just blows my mind will not to because we are dealing with an infinite being here and you and I are finite and by definition limited. We cannot wrap our brains around an infinite God. If we could be equal to him and then would have to have another conversation, but as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. So think about that God if you are in Christ here today and you know what, there may be some here today that you're not in Christ. Yet I can remember back when I was not in Christ in this life before I had entrusted myself to Jesus Christ in faith, yet still even before that time from eternity. God knew me as Rich Powell, my let that sink in. People not only is there an inference of preference on the part of a loving, caring father, who knows his own. But there's also the inference of purpose when he says, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. There's an inference of purpose in that. Remember in acts chapter 9 verse 15 when the Lord was speaking to Ananias about Saul who would become the apostle Paul. He refers to him and says he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name Christians that's what you are. When Paul uses this phrase just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. This is part of what he means you are a chosen instrument of his to carry his knee. There is purpose in an integral part of it.

Remember at the beginning of this he calls he refers to the Christians as saints.

What does St. mean and mean the holy one. What is holding me it means set apart so you can translate that just as he set us apart in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

So we are in Christ and have been known to him that way from eternity, set apart devoted to his service there is 1/3 inference in this. Not only is there preference and inference of preference and not only is there an inference of purpose. But there's also an inference of protection protection because why because you are his. He looks at you and he says you are motivating and is trying to look at my children in a picture I care for them and I want to be there protecting loving giving father and that's how God looks at us and the protection here is just with the understanding that it is done what he has for us. It is done. Our destiny is determined it is done if not left up to how hard we try, or how good we are from God's infinite transcendent perspective. Our journey is complete. Remember, God knows everything right here, right now he doesn't look down the road of time. God doesn't do that he can't knows everything and therefore in his knowledge from his perspective. Your entire journey of life is done and how does he see you well this is what he starts describing because the apostle Paul says I can. Romans eight for example, who shall bring a charge against God's elect is God who justifies. Peter said that we are kept by the power of God right no power of hell.

No scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand, which is saying that medical is so true, so we've unpacked a little bit just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, to what end chose us for what remember the inferences preference and purpose, and protection.

But just as he chose us to be holy and blameless before him just as he chose us in him to be holy and blameless. This is a perfect reflection of his character. We are as Paul says in Romans eight predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ to reflect his perfect life, but it's very interesting to words. It can very easily be passed over in here that we should be holy and blameless before him. As such a profound word. The word there is cotton opium on three parts to that word to see down in from his influent perspective he looks down into the core of your being and mine. And what does he see that we should be holy and without blame before him cotton opium has he sees down in so think about this. Think about this York infinite loving heavenly father Christians I'm talking to you. He looks down into you and he looks he's not looking for the hypocrisy. He's not looking for the superficiality is not looking for the faults but his piercing gaze looks down into you and he is looking for that delight in that satisfaction that he sees in the perfection of his cells.

Think about that. That's how he looks at you.

That's why he says holy and without blame before him in love.

Why because we are in Christ and Christ is the son of his love, his beloved son numerous times stated like that in Scripture. So we are in Christ and as I am in Christ and he is my element than is God's piercing gaze looks down into my life.

He sees Christ, the righteousness of Christ in his perfection and this is why Paul in Colossians 320 uses the term, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, and then he continues on with commands with imperatives.

This is what follows as you are.

Since you are the elect of God, holy and beloved, then it follows that this manifests in your life know what I'm going to do for Sunday night seminars is what we do here. We do Sunday night seminars I'm going to be unpacking this phrase the elect of God, holy and beloved, it's necessary. We need to do that. This is Scripture we need to understand what the apostle Paul means we need to understand God's disposition toward us and our position in him our status in him. Those who are mine. It's like the father is saying this is what I will accomplish in them. And here is where they end up and he sees it all is one complete picture for him and he knows it all for us and then it says as he predestined, and predestined us to adoption as sons predestined us to adoption as sons that would predestines again as I said before, just simply means it's done because we are in him and he is seated and we are already glorified. As Paul says in Romans eight, whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son and those whom he foreknew he called those he called he justified. Listen those he justified, he what glorified past tense Christians you hear that from God's perspective you're already glorified your already seated with Christ with him. Now listen part of that to just blow your mind. Okay this is how God sees you.

You need to know your father this way. Let's make sure that were not worshiping the God of our imagination here know your God in this way he has predestined us to adoption as sons in the adoption there to adoption as sons in the Roman world, an adopted son had the same rights and privileges as natural son had natural sons from biological birth and then you had adopted sons who is God's natural son, not by biological birth but they of the same essence and that is Jesus Christ. He is very God of very God is the second person of the Trinity. He is his only begotten son. He is the natural son of God, you and I are adopted sons of God. But as we are adopted as sons we have the same rights and privileges as the natural sons is not awesome, we are adopted into that son ship John says as many is believed he gave the right the authority to become children of God and reread it earlier during the early part of the worship behold what manner of the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. This is family this relationship. Imagine the love that God has lavished on us that he and infinitely perfectly holy God can reach down to me and call me his child whom he cares for deeply and affectionately and has desire for what is in a family relationship when a father thinks of this child. It's the name you you share a name. There is a sense of care. There's a sense of protection, a sense of guidance favor.

Love, belonging all of that and this is how God looks at us even listening to the light and grace.

The teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem visit our church website to see upcoming events or to listen to my messages at GBC.

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