To The Praise of God's Glory!

Eph. 1:4-14 (6, 12, 14)

Subject: Redemption

Theme: God’s motivation for saving us is His glory; therefore, as genuine servants we praise Him, proclaim Him, and glorify Him! 

Introduction:

What is God’s glory? When used of God in Scripture, glory refers to His opinion (what He thinks of himself) and reputation (what others think about him), all pointing to His fame or honor or praise. At times glory has a deeper meaning indicating God’s very Person—His essential Being.

So, Why did God Save Us?

Beloved, ultimately our salvation is “to the praise of His glory.” God’s marvelous plan for His people involves a magnificent finale—He will be the focal point of our continual praise. The intended goal and inevitable result of all God’s gracious actions toward us is that He should be magnified and glorified forever. In appreciation for your salvation, do you glorify God? Do you live to praise Him?

I personally find this topic a great place of meditation during this COVID-19 crisis! So much has changed because of it! But, in this text we are reminded the very God of Heaven has magnanimous plans for us and these plans will not change. Likewise, in this text we are reminded of our unflappable purpose to glorify our gracious God! So, then our God has not changed, our redemption future has not changed; therefore, our purpose to glorify God must not change.

Message:

Take your Bible and meditate through each of these observations. Allow them to fill you with hope, strength, and purpose instead of the fears and anxieties associated with COVID-19.

I.       Our Blessings due to our Father’s Decisions are to Praise His Glorious Grace Vs. 4-6

A.    We are Blessed because He Chose Us (vs. 4)

B.    We are Blessed because He Adopted Us (vs. 5)

C.    We are Blessed because He Accepted Us (vs. 6)

D.    We Bless Him for His Glorious Grace (vs. 3, 6)

II.     Our Participation in Redemption’s Purpose in Christ are to Praise God’s Glory Vs. 7-12

A.    Our Participation in Redemption (vs. 7)

B.    Our Participation in Forgiveness (vs. 7)

C.    Our Participation in the Mystery (vs. 8-9)

D.    Our Participation in the Consummation (10-11)

E.     We Accept our Purpose to Praise God’s Glory (vs. 12)

III.   Our Full Redemption through the Spirit is to Praise God’s Glory Vs. 13-14

A.    We Heard and Believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (v. 13)

B.    We were Sealed by the holy Spirit of Promise (vs. 13)

C.    We have Received the Earnest of our Inheritance (vs. 14)

D.    We will Receive the Fullness of our Redemption (vs. 14)

E.     We Accept our Responsibility to Praise God’s Glory (vs. 14)

Conclusions:

Glory then refers to the deep-down essential worth of God, His overwhelming majesty, His moral beauty, His marvelous excellencies, His perfect nature—righteousness, holiness, mercy, truth, goodness, love, and grace!

When Moses made the request of God, “Show me thy glory” (Ex 33:18), he was not speaking of the light-glory cloud, which he had already seen, but he was seeking a special manifestation of God which would leave nothing to be desired (John 14:8). Moses yearned…yea even craved to come to grips with all of God as he is in himself. To peer wide-eyed into the undiluted radiant essential majestic nature of the Almighty God was his plea! In reply, God emphasized his goodness (Ex 33:19). We too must understand that God’s glory is not limited to some outward sign that only appeals to our senses, but instead glory expresses His inherent awe-inspiring jaw dropping majesty—his characteristic breathtaking innate splendor, whether invisible or through visible symbols. He desires that we know Him in His glory (Jn. 17) and be moved to praise Him accordingly—in a manner appropriate to the magnitude of such weighty revelation. I should think it will take all eternity to at least get started!