The Glory Of God


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THE GLORY OF GOD EPHESIANS 1:3-14 Joel Webbon 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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:3-14 INTRODUCTION The most basic truth that can be said about God is that he has an unwavering commitment to his own glory. Everything God has ever done and everything he will ever do is to heighten the intensity with which his people praise him.

Westminster's Shorter Catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Interpretation: The purpose for humanity's existence is to reveal the truth about how wonderful God is and enjoy everything about God that makes him so wonderful.

The glory of God is like a mountain which includes every single one of his attributes, and the summit of this mountain is his grace.

I. SAVED FOR GOD'S GLORY He predestined us for adoption as sons through Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace… – Ephesians 1:5-6a It's important that we realize that before we were adopted we were not cute little orphans that God found to be irresistibly attractive. The Bible teaches that we were enemies of God in active rebellion against him. Therefore, our adoption is not based on our own worth or value, but rooted in God’s grace and eternal purpose of bringing glory to himself.

However, this is really good news for us because it means that our adoption is unconditional. God does not adopt us as his children and then later realize that we are not worthy when we continue to sin. He already knows we are unworthy. How wonderfully freeing is this truth!

We have not been adopted by God so that we can rejoice in him choosing to make much of us. We have been adopted by God so that we can rejoice in making much of him. We are adopted “to the praise of the glory of his grace”.

“God adopted us in our unworthiness to make his grace look great. You were adopted for the praise of the glory of his grace. God’s action in adopting us is radically God-exalting. Many will hear this and think it is not loving. How can God’s seeking to exalt himself be loving? The answer is that the glory of God is what we were made to see and enjoy for all eternity. Nothing else will satisfy our souls. Therefore if God does not exalt himself for us to admire and enjoy, then he is unloving. That is, he does not give us what we need.”

– John Piper

I am writing to you because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. – 1 John 2:12

II. SEALED FOR GOD'S GLORY 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:13-14 Because God is so passionately committed to having a people for himself who live for the praise of his glory, he refuses to let our eternal destiny rest on our own work and will. Instead, he sends his Holy Spirit to seal our hearts and secure our destiny forever.

God greatly desires for those who believe in him to feel secure in his love. He has chosen you before the foundation of the world. He has predestined you to be his child through the miracle of adoption. And he has sealed your destiny by placing his very own Spirit in you as a deposit which guarantees your eternal future. Therefore, you will receive your inheritance and he will receive his – your eternal praise of his glorious grace.

III. VIEWING OUR SIN THROUGH THE LENS OF GOD'S GLORY There two primary lenses that we can use to view our sin:

1) The Love of God – Sin destroys that which God loves.

2) The Glory of God – Sin perpetuates a lie about who God is.

Westminster's Shorter Catechism: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Interpretation: The purpose for humanity's existence is to reveal the truth about how wonderful God is and enjoy everything about God that makes him so wonderful.

Viewing our sin through the lens of God's glory enables us to feel the weight of our sin by allowing us to see how our sin affects God. This is how the Christian is empowered to experience “godly sorrow” which produces repentance.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10