Sermon Snippet – The Will of God – Part IV
INTRODUCTION – We return today to the immense subject of the will of God. We have seen that human will tends to evil, whereas God’s will – His kind disposition toward a specific action and His joy in the positive outcome – is always good and gracious. The practical outworkings of God’s will in our lives include prayer (a privilege, not a penance or punishment), purposeful labor, marital fidelity, and insight into personal suffering. From Ephesians 1:1-14, let us find further practical results of resting in the will of God.
1. THE WILL OF GOD INCLUDES A SPECIFIC CALLING
Saul who became Paul was an unlikely candidate for apostleship. Even his conversion to Christianity was unexpected, given his active hatred of Christ and of Christians (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-6). Yet Paul was saved and given apostolic authority. He was “called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God” (I Corinthians 1:1). Paul did not seek this position nor even desire it – “an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead),” as he writes in Galatians 1:1. Verse 1 of our primary passage affirms that he is “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” The position of apostle does not exist in the Church today (Ephesians 2:19-22). Anyone who now claims to be an apostle (or a prophet) either misunderstands what the Scriptural word means or is simply a liar. We all, though, are “saints,” set apart to God through faith in God the Son, Jesus Christ, unto secure salvation and unto sanctified service; I Corinthians 1:2 describes believers as “them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” I recall that the evangelist D. L. Moody said that anyone called to be a Sunday School teacher should not deign to be President of the United States. Often, this individual calling is right in front of us, as we match our abilities to our opportunities. Sometimes, though, God calls us in unanticipated ways to challenging works. His sovereign will can always be trusted.
2. THE WILL OF GOD INCLUDES “ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS”
Verse 3 rejoices that our Lord “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” These blessings include our “adoption … according to the good pleasure of His will” (verse 5). The fact of this family relationship reveals the compassionate and considerate heart of our Savior. He not only saves us – who would complain if that were the extent of his affection? – but also assures us that we truly matter to Him even now, even as we continue to struggle against sin. Verse 9 exults in God’s revelation of Himself to us: “Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.” We do not need to guess Who God will be today, for He has made Himself know to us in His Incarnation, through His Word, and by His continued tender mercies to us. His self-revelation is that He is immutable: “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Perhaps you have had the experience of speaking with a non-Christian who cannot comprehend even basic truths such as the design inference or irreducible complexity; their minds are darkened by false teachings such as evolution. These closed minds can be opened only by the light of God’s revelation; each Christian is a testimony to this necessary intervention. Verse 11 proclaims that we have an everlasting inheritance: “In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him [Who] worketh all things after the counsel of His will.” Romans 8:16-17a describes this inheritance: “The Spirit [Himself] beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.” This passage defines the limits of our inheritance: there are none! God is no miser, and He does not stint when giving us “all spiritual blessings.” The will of God is that we enjoy them.
CONCLUSION – The expression “in Christ” is employed twenty-seven times in the book of Ephesians. Clearly, this blessed description is calling each one of us to a personal, saving relationship with God the Son. Once we are saved by His grace, we enter into a newness of life that involves an appreciation of the winsome will of God. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of God is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).