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Ephesians 1:3-14 “The Believer’s Blessings”

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.
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.
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.”

This passage is one of the clearest texts in the New Testament on the biblical doctrine of predestination.

This biblical doctrine has been misunderstood, misused, and made by some to be a dividing point among believers, churches, and entire denominations.

Surely, this ought not be.

If one is to believe the Bible, you must believe something about predestination since it is mentioned five times in the New Testament (Acts 4:28; Romans 8:29, 30; Ephesians 1:5, and 11).

The problem is not that this doctrine is complex; it is not. The problem is that it totally destroys any foolish hope of humans that we can do anything to save ourselves (which is called, Peligianism) or even assist God in our salvation. (which is called, semi-peligianism).

We are completely fallen, lost, and helpless. God, and only God can save us. (This is called biblical Christianity).

Here is how simple this biblical word and doctrine is…

“pre” means “before”

“destination” means “where one is going”

“Predestination” means to determine before something where one is going.

Biblical “predestination” simply means that God determined before the foundation of the world what our destination is going to be.

God. Only God. And without our help or the help of anyone or anything else.

When Jesus prayed HIS High Priestly Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane following the Lord’s Supper in John 17, HE spoke to HIS Father about the people who are predestined to be HIS people.

We are going to spend some time in John 17, so I encourage you to read it a time or two and think about what Jesus says about HIS people.

Pay attention to the pronouns and the often repeated phrase, “those whom You have given Me.” Two things to note about these twelve verses:

First, Paul breaks out in a doxology of praise; and, second, there are TEN specific blessings mentioned in these verses!

Take a few moments and list the blessings and see if you find all ten…

Make note of any questions you hope to hear answered in the Sermon. (If you don’t hear an answer, please email me and I will answer any question you have.)

As always, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

REVIVAL CAN HAPPEN, IT REALLY CAN HAPPEN!

As the LORD allows, First Baptist Atwood will host a “Spring Revival” beginning with a Banquet and Sermon on Saturday, April 9th @ 6pm.

We will also host Revival Services Sunday, April 10th @ 10am and 6pm; and Monday and Tuesday, April 11th and 12th @ 7pm.

Thinking about why we do what we do is a very healthy thing!

I get teased about having most of my sermons planned out through 2020; but, it is a simple thing for me. I have followed the same pattern for years and certainly since I came here in April of 2007.

My pattern is to do a New Testament Book, an Old Testament Book, and then a series on some specific biblical doctrine. Since I just completed a series of sermons on Ecclesiology in November, and doing my usual series on Christmas, I am ready to begin my series on this foundational Book!

I will be the first to admit that my reasons for studying Ephesians can be applied to studying any Book in the Bible and to any series on biblical doctrines; but, in spite of that obvious reality, I think they are still GOOD reasons…

First, we are going to study Ephesians because it is written by an Apostle of Jesus Christ and therefore Christians are commanded to study, understand, and apply it to our lives.

Second, we are going to study Ephesians because it is addressed “to the saints…” which means it is addressed to us. Since God inspired Paul to write Letters to us, we surely should take the time to read them!

Every Book in the New Testament was written either by an Apostle, (Matthew, John, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude) or by someone very closely related to an Apostle and bearing Apostolic authority, (Mark and Luke). As the LORD allows, I will take some time to demonstrate the pedigree of the writing Apostles and the relationship of Mark and Luke to Peter and Paul.

Christian believers, “the saints” have a God-ordained calling to study, understand, and apply the inspired writings of the Apostles and their associates to our everyday living.

In the several weeks ahead, as the LORD allows, we will be going verse-by-verse (and sometimes word-by-word) through Ephesians.

START READING EPHESIANS now! Read it through at one sitting. Read it again more slowly. Read it again and write down thoughts and questions that come to your mind!

“I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!”

Ephesus was a City of about 250,000 people at the time of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. It was one of the great sea ports of the world. It was not the Capital of the Roman Province of Asia, (Pergamum was) but it was the most important City.

In many ways, Ephesus was a typical City of its time. And it was certainly typical in one key area: there was no Church there and they desperately needed one!

In many ways, the world of their day was like the world of our day…

They were in bondage to a godless government; they were living out their lives in the midst of a mostly godless culture; they lived among hyper-sexualized people; almost everyone there was lost; and the majority of people were very religious and hostile to any other God than the false gods (such as Diana) who were worshiped by them.

The people of Ephesus desperately needed a Church and God answered that need in an amazing way! HE began the Church at Ephesus in the hearts and in the home of ONE SINGLE CHRISTIAN COUPLE.

Their story begins in Acts 18. This one amazing couple were used of God multiple times and in multiple places such as Corinth and Rome to plant and grow Churches. Others, such as Nympha and Apphia and Archippus used this approach as well.

It may be difficult for those of us living in Central Illinois to relate to a City of 250,000 people, but the biblical principles for planting and growing effective churches is the same everywhere; including here.

If the statistics from our North American Missions Board are correct, (and I fear they are a bit optimistic) there are about 875 people living in the Village of Atwood and over 8,000 living in a ten mile radius of Atwood who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ and are not attending any church anywhere.

As The LORD Allows, I plan to take the sermon this coming Sunday Morning to apply these realities from the City of Ephesus – and God’s plan to save them – to the world we face and in which we live out our daily life.

As always, let me quote Evangelist Tom Rains… “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

Of course the Prophets knew that Jesus the Messiah of Israel would come to this Earth!

Of course Micah and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Zechariah believed and therefore knew for sure that the prophecies God had given them about Jesus would come to pass!

The Messiah would be “the Seed of the Woman” and “the Seed of Abraham” and “the Seed of Isaac” and “the Seed of Jacob” and “the Son of David.”

God promised through Daniel and Micah both “when” and “where” the Messiah would be born!

They knew because GOD TOLD THEM!

Of course!

But, did you ever wonder about “How does GOD know the future?” Surely, HE revealed these things to the prophets and all of them were fulfilled exactly at the Birth of Christ. But, how did HE know?

Is God some sort of “Super-Genie” with a really cool crystal ball?

GOD KNOWS THE FUTURE BECAUSE HE DECREED THE FUTURE!

ALL THINGS have gone; are going; and will go according to HIS will!

This coming Sunday morning, as the LORD allows, I will preach a Sermon on the subject, “The Prophecies of Christmas!” I will talk a lot about prophecy, prophets, and the God Who came to earth to die His People!

I plan to cover in detail fourteen of the best known and most remarkable prophecies of the coming Messiah, and demonstrate when, where, and how they were fulfilled in the birth, life, and death of Jesus!

As my dear friend Tom Rains loves to say, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face; your Bible in your hand; and your family and friends by your side!”

ATLA (As the LORD allows) – how’s that for an acronym, Facebook Friends?

ATLA, I am going to finish my two part sermon on the “Restoration” of sinning believers this coming Sunday Morning.

As we think about the “mechanics” of how this process actually works, I intend to speak to you about six biblical principles that apply here; and, the one thing we must do in the happy circumstance of the sinning believer repenting!

An import factor in this situation is what we do or do not know. Most of us are not aware of sin that goes on in the life of someone else; but, when those sins do become known by us that changes our responsibility to God and to them.

God knows what we do and do not know; and, when we know of ongoing sin in the life of our brother or sister in Christ, God commands us to serve HIM and them by helping them to escape the trap of sin.

Of course, this is a risky and very self-sacrificing act of love for HIM and for them. There are certainly times when the best of efforts undertaken for the very best of motives do not end well.

Paul says to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 4:6, “Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Sadly, some believers will answer this question “yes!”

This effort at restoration should only be undertaken by Christians who are walking in and led by the Holy Spirit. If this is done in our own strength and by our own wisdom, the likelihood of success is very low.

Motives matter in this! The only acceptable motive for attempting to help a fellow believer overcome sin is to restore them to a right relationship with God and HIS people.

It is a mistake to think a sinning believer will often come to you for help. If they were thinking clearly about their situation, they would have already repented. We are going to usually be the one to take the initial, fearful, and sometimes painful step of bringing up the subject.

We must trust God for the outcome of our attempt. If we do our best for the best reason, it is still true that only God can reveal their sin and grant them repentance. The outcome of our effort is completely and solely in the hands of God!

So, what do we do when they repent? Love them; accept them; and encourage them every way possible to continue in a Christ-honoring lifestyle!

Bring your Bible and a pen! You will need them!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you also be tempted.”

Can you imagine being part of a church with no “Ministry of Music?”

Or, no ministry of “Preaching?”

Or, no ministry to Children?

The good news is we usually do not have to do so because almost every church has these ministries in place.

We surely do!

But, can you imagine being part of a church with no “Ministry of Restoration?”

Very few, and I mean very few churches have any such ministry in place.

Sadly, this ministry is missing in nearly all churches and it is certainly one of the most important of all of the ministries God has called the Local Church to undertake.

Do you think Christians fall into sin from time to time? You bet we do; and, God knows that also. HE has designed the Local Church to be HIS agency on earth to do the work of restoring sinning Christians and leading them back to a godly lifestyle.

In the New Testament, we see Peter, Barnabas, and even Paul as examples of Christians who get caught up in sin.

Of course, we sin also – and, all of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ do as well. The problem is that Christians are terrible at carrying out this much-needed ministry of reconciliation to one another!

Why is that so? Several reasons come to mind…

We fear how people will respond to our attempts to lead them to repentance and restoration.

Our culture – even “Church” culture – has brainwashed us into believing that how someone else lives is “none of our business.”

Notice that our verse in Galatians 6 commands us to make how other Christians live to be part of “our business.”

Another reason (painful as it is to admit) that Christians do not get involved in restoring sinning Christians is that we simply do not love others enough to go to the trouble and risk the relationship we have with them.

One more obvious reason we do not do this is that we do not fear God enough to obey HIS command to do so!

As a Pastor, let me add one more. Pastors (including me) often fall prey to the idea that the people in our church will not support our effort; and, in fact we have seen times when churches turn against anyone in the church – including the pastor and leaders – who attempt to carry out this biblical mandate.

Still, the fact is that sinning Christians need someone to love them enough to take the risk of encouraging them to repent and return to a God-honoring lifestyle.

All of us get into sin from time to time, and when we do we really need someone to love us this much.

DO NOT MISS THIS… when a Brother or Sister in the LORD is caught up in sin, our work is to restore them to fellowship rather than remove them from fellowship. Sadly, they may reject our efforts and end up out of the fellowship; but, that must never be the purpose or focus of our efforts.

There are two great problems in churches in relation to this doctrine: first, there are Christians who need to be restored, and there are Christians who need to be involved in leading others to restoration.

Again, it is heart-breakingly true that very little of this is undertaken within churches and therefore few sinning Christians are restored.

As the LORD allows, this coming Sunday, (10/25) and next Sunday, (11/1) I will preach sermons on this subject. We will look at several related verses and seek to understand why God has commanded us to do this – and how it can be a life-changing blessing to Christians who are caught up in sin.

Please pray that the LORD will bless these services!

As Tom Rains often says, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

“Ecclesiology 101 – Understanding the Church”

Matthew 16:13-19 (ESV)
¹³ “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When God determined to save lost sinners, HE chose to do so by taking on a human Body. HE was conceived by the HOLY SPIRIT in the womb of the virgin Mary. HE was born in that Body, lived out HIS life and ministry in that Body, died and was buried in that Body, was resurrected in that Body; and, HE ascended to Heaven in that Body!

HE chose to be here on earth with HIS Sheep and for HIS Sheep. He came, HE lived, He died, He was raised, and HE ascended for our salvation in that Body!

Since HE has physically left earth, HE has chosen to live in, minister through, and reach the world through BODY #2 – The Church!

The New Testament Church IS the BODY of CHRIST on earth today!

As the LORD allows, this coming LORD’s Day I will begin a seven, or eight, or nine part series on the Biblical Doctrine of the Church.

Other than our personal relationship with JESUS, there is no other relationship on earth as important to HIS Kingdom work as our relationship with a Local Church!

Next Sunday, August 30^th, as the LORD allows, I will begin this series with a message entitled, “The WHAT? WHERE? and “WHY?” of the Church.

I hope you will pray earnestly that the LORD will speak through HIS word to all of us as we learn about HIS work in the world through HIS Body, Body #2, the Church!

As my dear friend Tom Rains often says, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

It does not get much better than that!

Understanding the Book of Jonah – Sermon 2: “Understanding the God Revealed in the Book of Jonah”

Before I begin the happy process of going through Jonah verse-by-verse, I want to take one more sermon as an introduction to the series.

The Book of Jonah is about a lot of things: a wicked people, a rebellious prophet, a storm, a great fish, and the salvation of sinners. But, more than anything else, Jonah – like all other scripture – is about God. We can know nothing about God that HE does not reveal to us. HE has chosen to reveal HIMSELF to us in several ways: creation, our conscience, the content of the Bible, and Christ. The Book of Jonah (as inspired scripture) is one of those means of divine revelation.

As I read over and studied these passages earlier this week, I began to list the ways in which God revealed HIMSELF in the Book. The more I studied, the more I found. Finally, I stopped at nine!

I had to stop somewhere!

As the LORD allows, I will share with you this coming Sunday these nine specific things that God reveals to us about HIMSELF in the Book of Jonah.

Here is your homework – read through the Book and see how many you find! You may find many more than I did!

I know this; you will have a wonderful time adding them up.

As my dear friend Tom Rains ALWAYS says, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

Jude 25 – “WHO is Jesus?”

Jude 25 (ESV) 

“to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Most people don’t think about God very often, but when they do, this is one of the questions they often ask.

Therefore, it is a question that we must be ready to answer!

The Bible is clear about the answer:

As you prepare your mind to hear the Word of God this coming Sunday; and, as we focus on WHO Jude says that Jesus is; think about those persons who were clear about this and the statements they made…

John the Baptist was clear about WHO Jesus is!

The Disciples were clear about WHO Jesus is!

The Apostle Peter was clear about WHO Jesus is!

The Roman Soldier who crucified HIM was clear about WHO Jesus is!

And, as we see in the final verse of his Epistle, Jude, the Half-Brother of Jesus was clear about WHO Jesus is!

In this final verse, Jude gives us (by inspiration of the HOLY SPIRIT) three specific facts about WHO Jesus is…

Jesus is __________________________________________________

Jesus is _________________________________________________

And, Jesus is _________________________________________________

The great question you and I face is, “How do we rightly respond to this information?”

This coming Lord’s Day, as the LORD allows, I will show you the biblical answer…

As my buddy Tom Rains often says… “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”