Dave preached this morning from Ephesians 1:3-14, one of the most beloved passages in the New Testament. We are called to live for God in a world that is godless, but there must be no ‘sacred schizophrenia’ in the Christian’s life. Rather than juggling the sacred and the secular and keeping them entirely separate, we must learn to integrate God into our everyday lives, understanding that He is in everything. We can do this only as we realise who we are in God and who God is.
This passage teaches us that we are chosen by God, we are children of God and we are mightily blessed of God.
Being chosen means that we are not a second-rate afterthought. We were chosen by God before the creation of the world, chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight (Eph 1:4). We are chosen, not because of our perfection, but because of His love (John 3:16, John 15:13). We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17). Predestination means that we are not an afterthought; we are chosen by God to follow Him. That means all people have a choice – to serve God and to be part of that divine purpose (‘to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ’ Eph 1:10) or to reject Him and be shut out from His presence (2 Thess 1:8-10).
Human parents have little natural choice over their children. God has chosen us to be His children, however, because of His great love for us. The Holy Spirit is the seal or guarantee of that new relationship (Eph 1:13-14). We are sealed (or fastened) by the Spirit. Even though we have an enemy who tries to disrupt our relationship with God and steal from us, reminding us of past sins and attacking our Christian walk, we can be secure in God. Our sins are forgiven and we have redemption through the blood of Christ (Eph 1:7-8). We may do things wrong and fail to walk perfectly all the time, but God is transforming us day by day, and we do not have to live in our own strength, but can live in His! Because of this ‘we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Rom 8:17) and can receive every spiritual blessing which God is more than pleased to lavish on us (Eph 1:3).