Mystery #1: We are Chosen

With JD Greer in Christ we have the assurance of all of God's favor and every spiritual blessing is nobody else to a P right side in him we have every spiritual blessing. There's nothing left but he promised to us that he has not already given to us in Christ factors to take into consideration that thankfully throughout Scripture repeatedly shows that he's willing to do whatever it takes to adopt his children today on Summit life with pastor JD Greer will learn the links think I went to in order to make us his own as part of our new teaching series called mystery and clarity before we get started I wanted to encourage you to stay tuned until the end of the program today to learn about our new Bible study that goes along with this new teaching program now appears pastor JD in the book of Ephesians chapter 1 with a message titled mystery number one we are to call today about the fact that God has chosen you from all of eternity to be his child and the rich blessing that that that is supposed to bring into your life and it's going to become a difficult honestly for some of you because this biblical teaching raises all kinds of questions you say what why did God choose me. Why did God choose everybody done the Bible teach free will. These are all great questions.

But here's what I need you to do. I need you for just a little while to turn off those objections because I want to teach you today. As a pastor, not as an apologist or a defender of Christian doctorates. This is one of the richest doctrines of the Bible and it will bring more meaning and more comfort and more stability into your life. Just about any other. That's why Paul starts the book of Ephesians with it. I'm going to teach the Scriptures to you just as they are written on us really is not to be a whole lot of interpretation.

A lot of opinion mixed in here to show you what they say and I would like to ask you your part of this deal. Like to ask you just to take a stop at face value and simply assume that the Bible means what it says now you say will what about my objections. Listen, there is nothing wrong with your questions. God gave us our inquisitive minds, and he wants us to use them. God is not threatened by our questions and he invites us to ask them but CC there are certain things that God reveals to us about himself and his plan. The blower markets. Of course were talking about God here. When the implement Almighty God when you're dealing with that subject.

Of course there are things that make us stand back overwhelmed with all in a sense of mystery, what we do with our objections. What you do with those.

What we could take a cue here from none other than theologian John Calvin John Calvin's favorite verse is Deuteronomy 2929 the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. What that means is that there are things that God is revealed to us about himself which we are to hold onto and obey. And then there are secret things that God has not enabled us for whatever reason, to see at this point. Maybe we couldn't handle her mate was not smart enough, and while we are free to ask questions about God. We should never let those questions make us doubt or disobey the things that God has revealed to us clearly make sense of God says that if we are saved, it's because God shows us and through us to himself. But we also know that God loves all men, and desires all be saved and that whosoever will make him and sometimes we just have to say. I'm not sure how they work out but I believe they're both true because both revealed or think about another difficult really difficult area of Christian doctrine the Trinity juice for 3000 years believed there was only one God. Then Jesus shows up. He says I've been sent from God.

And I'm also God himself and his disciples like what is that mean that there are two gods and that we were wrong elders years about their own would be in one God, now you are right there is only one God, then you're not God because you said you were sent from God know that's true to there's only one God and I am not God. Even though I sent from God and separate from the father, the apostle Peter's mind is completely explodes Jesus as you can feel free to try and resolve that. But what you can't deny what you can't do is deny any of what has been revealed. God is one and I am God and I'm simply the father and separate from the father okay have fun with that. When I'm going back to my father is actually me right now.

Later Christians express this tension as the Trinity, one God in three persons do any of us really understand that not really, but we know that there's only one God and that Jesus is God somehow some God separate from God the father was similar but we have to do here. The Bible teaches that God chose me before the foundation of the world also teaches me that God loves the whole world and whosoever will make him again. I'm not sure how all that fits together but for now I will hold them in tension.

I believe in both. By the way, please understand that I'm not saying they are illogical or contradictory, just that they may be beyond the grasp of our finite minds see what you're not allowed to do is say well I just don't agree with this but don't understand it will believe it when I was in college I was part of a Bible study that had a different people who rotated through teaching and I remember one guy got up to teach one evening and read this passage, he was working his way through the reeds of verse says I will approve this verse moves on to the next one I took quite unlike the other shoe to drop like you to twist here is the degree versus we can ignore it that you can't do that.

But God did not give us that opposite you can't do that here either. If this is the word of God, we have to understand that there are many things that are going through our minds. We have to humble ourselves before them. Let me share with you real quick, a chapter that I memorize recently brought so much peace into my life. Psalm 130 10 Lord. David says my heart is not lifted up my eyes are not raised too high. I do not occupy myself with things that are two great or too marvelous for me but I called and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother what that saying is that there's a time to question.

There's a time just to believe there's a time to sit silently before the father and just rest that he is God and what he says about himself and me in the world are true. You see, in some ways, in relation to God. This chapter says like kids there many things I tell my kids that they can understand that he why can't the newborn baby take a bath with us. Why cannot play with the hairdryer in the job and sometimes I just have to say baby is just some things you can't grasp yet. And for now I need you just to trust in the baby is your daddy in China anybody in here to as kids we get that his parents sometimes our kids just need to trust this because our understanding of the world of ours the world so much greater than theirs.

Let me ask you this, logically, which you think is greater. The gap between my four-year-old understanding, and my understand the world when my understanding of God's course, the gap between my guides to. There's a time just to rest in God's truth even when you Put it all together some of the greatest blessings come from knowing when and how to question and went to simply rest and trust.

Here is what I'm asking if you believe this book is the word of God. I want you just for a little while to turn off your objections and just listen. I want you as a pastor show you what wonderful comfort this truth is to bring into your life.

Later you can go back and try to reconcile everything. There's a little warning, the smarter you are, the harder this is good to be for you. If you're dumb like oh yeah this all makes sense.

Okay, if you're smart, you can ask questions and if you hear something the data totally trips you up and you can't spend just put that in the 80% stuff you don't remember from my messages that actually last week I listen if you don't believe this book is the word of God want you at least be open to the fact that maybe this explains a lot of what is been going on in your life.

Maybe even stand back with us and say who else could revealed God because no human being. Whenever right stuff like this. As a pastor I will tell you that the longer that I'm in ministry. The more central in the more precious. This doctrine becomes to me in every way. If you get this I promise you this will add more strength and more comfort to your life than just about anything else you believe it will drive you to worship at a new depth after today you will say wow. I have never understood how much God did for me in salvation ready. I'm about to unload on you after I get done. So you feel like you have stared at the theological sun for too long.

Your spiritual eyes are burning secret dates right so here we go. Verse three will where we will begin. Blessed be. Paul says the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is a pretty stunning promise to the Ephesians, the city of Ephesus. As I explained last week was obsessed with the spirit world. They believe in different spirit beings that occupy different levels of heaven and you had to keep the various spiritual powers happy if you wanted you like to go well. Something was wrong in one area of your life.

It's because the spirit over that area was ticked off at you and you needed to do something to appease them now. Don't just see that is something that people in the really old times, in ancient days. Believe today people refer to it as karma. Some of us our lives have gone wrong and we wonder what were being repaid for something goes wrong in your life and you conclude that God must be punishing you for something. It is a terrible spiritual bondage. Paul knows because you're always wondering how karma or how God feels about you to those people and to us. Paul makes this staggering and liberating assertion that in Christ who sits at the highest of the heavens. We have the assurance of all of God's favor and every spiritual blessing.

There's nobody else to appease Christ at the top and he is on our side in him we have every spiritual blessing. There's nothing left that he could promise to us that he has not already given to us in Christ. What's more popular show you when these next 11 verses which make up.

By the way. One sentence in Greek that every member of the Trinity is now working for your salvation and for your good in the first three verses, he explains to you that the father planned your salvation. Then in verse seven that the son accomplished your salvation been the last three verses that the Holy Spirit brings about your salvation in your heart from start to finish your salvation has been accomplished by God. He says you let that sink in before we move on. There is nothing that you could hope for more from God right now. You already have in Christ. He could not love you more than he does. Right now he could not be more for you than he is right now. He could not be working more on your behalf, and he is right now. Every member of the Trinity is work for you and in you and he is employed. Every molecule of the universe in service of that Paul says here's how you can know that is how you can know that verse four even as in Greek that really ought to be translated is because you can know that every blessing is yours because it shows us in him is your word right there. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him. As you ready it's an awesome thought before the world was ever established. God knew you and love you. There is never been a time when God did not know about you, and never been a time where he has not loved you as it ever dawned on you that nothing has ever gone on God for as long as God has been in existence is cherished you and plan to redeem and save you see a lot of people think this verse means God simply knew beforehand you would choose him and then go to the ones he predestined for salvation but that's not what this verse says.

It says he set his love on you and shows you before there was ever a you before you were even a twinkle in your daddy's eye from verse three when your salvation begins to verse 14. When it's all over, God is the primary one driving the action several body choose me. What was it about me God see that I was going make a great question and so he said man this guy is awesome plus is a great musician have a guy my team now. In fact, when God was explaining to Israel why he chose them.

He said this, Deuteronomy 7 is not because you are more number than in the other people that the Lord set his love on you and show you know that and look at you and thought members. A lot of women in the really good at war.

The really good or talented I got have these people know you were the fewest of all the peoples in every way, just because the Lord loves you. That's why I chose you. So I don't know maybe I wasn't as wicked as other people.

God knew deep down that I had a good heart.

If you just give me the right chance it would really thrive again.

Deuteronomy God says Israel know therefore that the Lord your God is not giving you this land to possess because of your righteousness. You are a stubborn people is like a nature good heart. Actually, you are more stubborn. Everybody else was it was easy to phrase in 78 that we just went over Deuteronomy.

Just because the Lord love you. As Paul says in verse five of Ephesians 1. It was according to the purpose of the use will the point is that God's choice of us was not something we had anywhere and it was all grace you say will will house a fairly God shows us and not others is a good question one and I can answer today because I told you in the beginning that that's not my purpose in this message differ down just asking that you spend that money talk. He was a pastor but I will say this before you when I start talking about what his failure. We should remember that what was fair was that God not choose any of us. We as a race have chosen to reject God and for us to have to live with the result of that rejection, that's what's fair. What we rightfully deserve his judgment and death. The fact that God chose any of to redeem us this year. Unmerited grace and to be honest the reason that this whole discussion bother so many of us is because deep down we don't really think are worthy of judgment as a race, we still think God owes salvation and this is not true say will God choose me, but did not violate my choice. You know like when you single guys walk up some girl here in your life. I'm a Calvinist dater I have chosen you to be my wife did not choose me, but I chose you, and it ordains you to be my bride. I would produce a restraining order okay to say when I like what's happening here. I got force us to love and what were somehow to mail order bride for something know the Bible says his choice is never against our will is choice is always fully consistent with our will. The Scripture says that all those who come to God freely choose to as Jesus often said, whosoever will may come if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. What is God chose us first. Jesus explained in John 644 no man can come to me unless the father calls him Greek scholars point out that the Greek word for all their whole cool carries the idea of this insatiable hunger almost an irresistible force. The image of a desperately hungry man being drawn to food. That's what God did to you. God created a hunger in you to know Jesus and that hunger drew you to Jesus is your problem is not that we can't choose God.

Our problem is that we don't want to choose God. Our chooser works fine. It's all one for that's all out of whack.

Ephesians 21 says that without the Holy Spirit we are dead in our sin and what that means is that we don't desire God we desire death, spiritual death. We desire sin.

We love sin and rebellion and independence. God changes our hearts so that we begin to what God he wakes us up and lets us see how wicked sin is how glorious and how desirable God is and how insane it is to oppose God when that happens to you. That is all the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart is.

The Bible describes it, the ministry of Paul at 16 talking about Lydia.

This is the Lord what's this opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul see that she chose to pay attention because she was interested in what I was interested because God had opened her heart. Keep reading and love he predestined us for adoption 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 is another keyword predestined where predestined. Verse five says for adoption.

I got some friends here at our church.

You have undertaken a wonderful ministry of adoption may told me that when you walk into that place where you see your child as an input for the first time there's this immediate and overwhelming sense of love that just begins to gush up out of your heart for that child to take them into your family to grow up with your name as your children there to become heirs of your wealth. That's what Jesus did to us. He walked into the orphanage of sin and said that to get that when everything done in verse 12, Paul says that we were predestined to become people to the praise of his glory. You see when you adopt one of the things you do is you teach the adopted child. Your values God and predestination asked to be sons and daughters.

God determined that he would make us into people reflected his values people whose lives would bring him glory for seven keep reading 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 focus really quick on that word redemption number seven for just a minute you see here, for Jesus takes over. The father planned our salvation now.

Jesus comes and accomplishes it.

Jesus came to earth and redeemed us what Paul is trying to show you is that Jesus came and purchased your salvation in its entirety.

All at once see a lot of people think salvation is basically forgiveness is a God, I'm sorry for my sin is okay okay and God forgives you, but it is so much more than forgiveness. Imagine if when you became a Christian.only for date you.

That would last until you send again and then you would need to be forgiven again, your relationship with God would always be hanging by a thread. And the only times you would be sure that you were going to heaven with me when you were at the moment sentence, which for me would last about 15 second intervals, and I would need to be saved again. Never the case. None of us would ever make it. This is not what Jesus did. Jesus did not give us the redeemed paying the full price in its entirety and settle the score for our salvation through the first chapter of Ephesians from Pastor Jeannie Greer on to hear this message again listening into the first message in this study. Visit us online.

Jeannie Greer.com. This weekly lunch. Every new resource that aligns perfectly with our teaching here on the program throughout the book of Ephesians 9, part Bible study called mystery and clarity NJD I know you have specific aim in mind. So what you hope blisters will take away from this Bible study hope is that this study can take you deeper into something that you can never really even close to the bottom of the meeting, Peter says an angel still a long walk and some of the gospel. The stair with wonder at the present angel that love is something Paul is just enraptured with in the book of Ephesians. There were never book of the Bible you could benefit from some tools that would slow you down and take you look deeper to the Ephesians to every session of the Snyder heart study is slow you down and take help you take transforming truths in your heart.

Every session includes a new component for us and that Scripture memory, along with commentary study questions personal application and prayer God that might be the most important part is you pray these things in the reality of your life with love for you to reserve your copy. You can access that today JD Greer.com you like to get deeper with this topic led to get you a copy of this new resource mystery and clarity, you can request your copy today to start training yourself you a copy when you donate this ministry suggested $25 528-663-3524.

Get online. Jeannie Greer.com Molly benefits inviting you to join us tomorrow is a mystery number one your to write here Wednesday on Senate by Jeannie Greer ministry