Marveling at God's Grace: Chosen, Redeemed, Sealed

"Well, let us look here first at 'chosen.' It says in verse 4, 'even as He chose us in Him.' It is very clear when you read this all the way through that God is the one who chose us. The Bible tells us that by eternal decree that He has called us into a relationship with Himself. God chose us in Him. It is also known as the doctrine of election. And, I think, the thing that we key on at the beginning here is that these spiritual blessings do not begin with our initiative; they begin with God's." [00:04:59]

"It is clear in the Word of God that He chose us. In fact, that word 'chose' points back in a point in time in the past, ekloge. It means to pick out for Himself those chosen, that would be us, who are saints, were saved and placed in that relationship with Christ before the foundation of the world. What that is, is an act of God based on no foreseen merit in man that God the Father chose you to be recipients of His special grace and salvation." [00:06:04]

"Now, how do you justify the question would come, the sovereign act of God's choosing with all the passages that speak of an open invitation of the gospel to come to God? How do you justify those? And, I think, the simple answer is you don't, okay. They are both true. There is an open gospel that is given and proclaimed to all. And yet, here in this passage there is sovereign election and sovereign choosing." [00:09:56]

"If you are here tonight and you are in Christ, then He chose you and He chose me to be holy and blameless, to be holy and set apart to be exclusively devoted to Him. I mean, this is the teaching of Scripture in 1 Thessalonians 4:7, 'God has called us not for impurity but to holiness.' And so, in the very calling is a purpose given to us that far from just cruising on the Father's choice in eternity past, you and I have been given a mandate to be holy as we walk by the Spirit." [00:15:29]

"In other words, both 'choosing' and 'predestination' are often used interchangeably. I suppose that His choosing is God's choice and His predestinating, if you didn't want to take a difference there, is Him marking His plan out. And the Canon of Dort, the two sides, it says, of these words are the same coin. But here the motive is in love He predestined you. I don't know if you have ever considered that. What moved Him from eternity past? What moved in His heart? And here it is His love." [00:17:16]

"Adoption by the Father places the child of God in the position that results in all the privileges of being in God's family. I mean, I don't know if we could see it exactly, but at the moment of salvation you entered into a relationship forever as part of the family of God. You say, 'Well, when did this happen?' Theologically, adoption takes place all at the same time as conversion, regeneration, justification, and you became part of God's family." [00:21:15]

"Here is a rich term: 'redemption.' A person is held captive. A person cannot break free. Often in Scripture and even extra biblical writing, it spoke of a prisoner. It spoke of a slave. And this type of redemption, I think, is familiar to you. It came by the payment of a price, but as it came by the payment of the price the person often was powerless to redeem himself from a penalty that he can't repay. And certainly, in the biblical language, man is dead in his trespasses and sin." [00:26:38]

"Here is redemption: Jesus died. Do you not marvel at that even tonight? He shed His blood for you. He made a payment for your sin that otherwise would have sent you to hell. We say, at least in theology, this is the means of redemption. Paul will say in Ephesians 2:13 that He brought you nearer by the blood of Christ. Leviticus 17:11 says, 'The life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your sin.'" [00:28:26]

"Do you remember when Peter put it this way? 'You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood as of a Lamb unblemished, the spotless blood of Jesus Christ.' He gave His life. He gave His blood, paid the ransom for you and redeemed you from your sin. You say, 'Well, what did His shed blood accomplish?' Look down in the text again. It says, 'through His blood the forgiveness of your trespasses,' the forgiveness, in essence, of your sins." [00:31:14]

"In Him you also, when you heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.' What a great statement by the Apostle Paul! I think many of you know that that statement that I just read in Ephesians 1:3 through 14 is actually one sentence in the original language." [00:01:58]

"The sealing is a once and for all act at conversion. You believe He converts your heart, He gives you faith and repentance as a gift, and then He seals you with the promised Holy Spirit, the promise that Jesus made in John that the Spirit would come. He authenticates your salvation as real. He gives you ownership in that seal. He protects you in that seal. In other words, nothing can mess with you. And so, when you come to Christ, He chooses you, He redeems you, and He seals you by the Holy Spirit." [00:40:24]

"The Father chooses; it is a past blessing. The Son redeems you; it is a present blessing. And the Holy Spirit has taken up in your heart residence and sealed you for His future blessing. You say, 'Well, how is all of this punctuated? In 6, 12, and 14, 'to the praise of His,' what? 'Glory.' Chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, sealed by the Spirit. Do you ever ask, as I do, 'Why me?' I mean I was raised in a Christian home and all I can think is 'Grace upon grace upon grace, He lavished it upon us.'" [00:42:05]