Chapter 1, our focus will be verses 13 and 14 this evening, but I'll read the chapter. Ephesians 1, beginning in verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him. in love having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined, according to the purpose of Him who works all things, according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, a promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for this beautiful section of Holy Scripture and what it teaches. concerning our blessed God. We give praise to you and thanksgiving for the salvation that you have freely given unto us. We know it's according to your pleasure. It's according to your sovereignty. And God, help us to marvel at these things and to never lose sight of how wonderful the gospel of our salvation is. Again, forgive us for all sin and unrighteousness. Guide us now by the Holy Spirit. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, remember that verses 3 to 14 is one long sentence in Greek and basically Paul praises God. He gives a general statement in verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now he pursues those blessings. He moves from a general statement in verse 3 to particular application in verses 4 and 5. to 14, he praises the work of the Father. The Father chose, the Father predestines to adoption. The Son is the Redeemer. It's in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. And here in verses 13 and 14, he deals with the application of redemptive benefit by the power of the Spirit generally. Specifically, he speaks of the Spirit as being the seal and the guarantee of our purchased possession. So we'll look at verses 13 and 14 under those two considerations. First, the Holy Spirit is the seal for believers. And then secondly, the Holy Spirit guarantees the believer's inheritance. Now last week we dealt with the person of the Holy Spirit. We often speak of the Father and the deity of the Father and the fact that the Father is Almighty God. We think of the Son as being Almighty God. We don't always give as much attention to the Holy Spirit, but He is Almighty God. Yet not three gods, one true and living God, and in this divine and infinite being, there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So we looked at that last week in terms of the Holy Spirit, and I think the Nicene Creed summarizes well the biblical doctrine concerning the Spirit. It says, and I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. So we distinguish the persons of our blessed God through their eternal relations of origin. The Father is unbegotten. The Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. We have distinction among the persons, and we have consubstantiality among the persons as well. So let's dive into the work of the Spirit as given here in verses 13 and 14. Notice the Holy Spirit is the seal. for believers. Verse 13 says, in him you also. Now the also needs to be understood in light of what Paul has said in verse 12. Notice, so that or that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory. Likely a reference to the Jews. Remember in Romans chapter one, Paul says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. So Paul indicates the first-ness of the Jews that believe the gospel concerning our Lord Jesus Christ in verse 12. But he wants to make sure that these Gentile believers understand they're not second-tier citizens. They're not less than believing Jews. That's one of the great emphases in this book of Ephesians. There are those out there today that distinguish between the Jews and the Gentiles. Those persons are called dispensational. I think they make a great mistake separating the two peoples of God in light of the redemptive mission of the Savior to make, out of the two, one new man. If you look at chapter 2, that's the emphasis in terms of Jew and Gentile solidarity in the gospel. Notice in 2.14, for he himself is our peace, who has made both one, that's Jew and Gentile, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through Him, we both, Jews and Gentiles, have access by one Spirit to the Father. There's not less status for believing Gentiles. They are prone and benefactors of the same benefit wrought out by our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in chapter 3, verse 1, For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets." Notice in verse 6, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs. Fellow heirs, same footing, same status, same covenant, same promises, same blessing, same blood, same spirit, everything is consistent. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power." Separating Jews from Gentiles is a strategy that the Apostle Paul never engages in. He does not distinguish between the Jews and the Gentiles as if they're separate peoples of God with separate purposes in terms of who God is. They are on equal footing. Same promises, same blessing, same gospel, same blood of Jesus, same Holy Spirit. So that's the reference in verse 13. So he mentions that he is along with those Jews who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory, verse 12, and then him you also trusted, the also being Gentile believers in Ephesus. Now notice, the elect believed in him, Christ, after hearing the word of truth. In him you also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Why is the word, or the gospel rather, referred to as the word of truth? Well, it comes from the Lord God of truth. That's what David says of God in Psalm 31 and verse 5. In Titus chapter 1 and verse 2, we learn that God cannot lie. It's one of those divine cannots. God cannot deny himself. God cannot lie. There is no falsehood or error in him. He is only ever truthful. So the gospel comes from the hand of God, and the gospel concerns the Son of God, who is, according to John 14, 6, the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to me except by the grace of the Father who sent me. So we have this gospel of truth, or word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. So the reason it is called the word of truth is because it comes from the Lord God of truth and it concerns the one who is truth. John Eady refers to it as this clause describes the revealed system of mercy. This clause describes the revealed system of mercy. I forgot how good a commentator the Scottish Presbyterian John Eady is. It's been a blessing going back through Ephesians and getting reacquainted with that brother who spoke so well concerning our blessed Savior and his gospel. But notice the instrumentality of the word there. In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. What can we infer or imply? If you don't hear the word of truth, if you don't hear the gospel of salvation, you'll never know of Christ and Him crucified. You'll never know of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You'll never learn of blood atonement. The heavens declare the majesty and glory of God. The general revelation of God teaches us true things concerning God, His eternal power, His Godhead, His glory, the fact that it's righteous with God to punish sinners. Paul tells us that general revelation functions in a very positive way according to Romans 1. But with reference to special revelation, we must have that so that we can learn of the Savior. Looking at Mount Shem on a beautiful afternoon does not lead us to the cross. Looking at a beluga whale does not lead us to a knowledge of the cross. We must have written revelation. We must have the gospel of our salvation. So notice, in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. It underscores the absolute necessity of hearing the word of God, the absolute instrumentality of that word of God. And there are several passages that underscore this. You can turn back to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, just to see the instrument, instrumentality of the word, the necessity of the word to reveal unto us our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 10, specifically at verse 14, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? See the apostles argument here? In order for us to be able to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have to hear from the Lord Jesus Christ. And the way that I read it is the way it should be read. And how shall they believe Him whom they have not heard? If you can kind of keep your finger there and turn back to Ephesians 2, you'll see something unique in these passages. Ephesians 2, we're gonna go back to Romans 10, we're not done there. But look at Ephesians 2 again. Verse 14, for he himself is our peace. And then we read that he himself makes peace. But then we also see in verse 17, that he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. Now Jesus' geographical ministry was confined to Israel. He never went to Ephesus in his earthly ministry. But Paul the Apostle went to Ephesus in his earthly ministry. And when Paul the Apostle preaches accurately the word of truth, it is the case that the Lord God Most High is speaking to sinners. That's the emphasis here in Romans chapter 10. How shall they believe him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? So a whole world of good theology in there concerning the ministry of the word. There must be servants of the gospel who go and proclaim that truth. But those servants of the gospel don't appoint themselves. They don't install themselves. They don't ordain themselves. Rather, they are sent. If we ask the question, how does this occur? The book of Acts helps us. When the Spirit comes to the church in Antioch in Acts chapter 13, He says to separate Paul and Barnabas for the work that I have called them. So the Spirit works in and through the church to identify qualified men and then to send those men out so they can preach the gospel. Notice, as it is written, in the middle of verse 15, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord who has believed, I report. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. See, this is why we pray that God blesses preaching as it goes forth. This is why we often chastise or criticize those churches that engage in do-goodery or feel-goodery or departures from their calling to proclaim the doctrine of Christ and Him crucified. Brethren, that is everything that has been entrusted to the church. We are supposed to proclaim Christ and Him crucified. Why? Because sinners desperately need to hear that. They don't need chatty preachers with their hands in their pockets, clutching a latte, talking about stories. They need the gospel of our blessed Savior. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Turn over to James 1. James 1, same emphasis on the necessity of the Word of God. If we don't hear the truth as it is in Jesus, we will not believe the truth as it is in Jesus. Notice in verse 16, do not be deceived my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. What a blessed statement that is. God is not capricious. God is not arbitrary. God does not change. It isn't the case that God loves us one day and he doesn't love us the next day. No, you can take this to the bank. This is the place for soul comfort. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Manton says, but God doth not change. There is no wrinkle upon the brow of eternity. The arm of mercy is not dried up, nor do his bowels of love waste and spend themselves. Praise God Almighty for that reality, the immutability and the impassibility of our blessed God. Now, as an expression or evidence of that statement. So notice in verse 17, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Look at verse 18 as an illustration of a good gift, a perfect gift that is from above. Of his own will, he brought us forth. It's God's sovereignty. So there's no antipathy between Paul and James in the matter of salvation. They both preach sovereign grace. They both preach faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. They both emphasize the plan and purpose of God in the salvation of sinners. So of His own will, He brought us forth. Now notice, by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. It is absolutely crucial that sinners hear the gospel of salvation. And then one final passage over in 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1 at verse 22. Notice, since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible. through the word of God, which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you." So going back to Ephesians, he reminds them that in him, you also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, Now we know from the context, they didn't just wake up one day and said, I'm going to decide to follow Jesus. No, it's because He chose us in Him. It's because in love, He predestined us to adoption. It is in His grace and in time, He calls us out of darkness into marvelous light. He changes our hearts. He causes us to be born again. He removes the old stony heart and puts in a new fleshly heart. And he does that and gives us the graces of faith and repentance so that we can believe. Remember, faith is a gift given by God. Turn over to Ephesians 2, verses 8 to 10. Ephesians 2, verses 8 to 10. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Notice the conspicuous order. He speaks specifically concerning the gift character of the grace through faith salvation, underscores that it's not of works in verse 9, lest anyone should boast, and then shows us the proper order with reference to good works. We're not saved because of our good works. We're saved unto good works. Notice, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Same emphasis in chapter 1, verse 4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame. He doesn't choose us because we are holy and without blame. He chooses us to be holy and without blame. And then as well, Philippians 1 verse 29 underscores the faith character, or rather the gift character of faith. And this is an incidental statement by the Apostle. He's not using Philippians 1.29 to argue that faith is a gift. That's not the main point in the passage. That simply illustrates the main point in the passage. The gift is suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in 1.29, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, It has been granted on behalf of Christ for you to believe in Him. Granted, grace, God's gift, it is bestowed upon you. But also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. So back to Ephesians chapter one. So in Him you also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, notice, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. So what does this mean? What is this sealing with the Holy Spirit of promise? The word means to mark with a seal as a means of identification. Mark, seal. That's the basic definition. Hodge and Gill flesh it out a bit. Hodge says there are several purposes for which a seal is used. One, to authenticate or confirm as genuine and true. Two, to mark as one's property. That's why we wear wedding rings, isn't it? It's a mark, an identifying token that we belong to another. Third, to render secure. He says, in all these senses, believers are sealed. John Gill explains, but it is to be understood of the confirming, certifying, and assuring the saints as to their interest in the favor of God, and in the blessings of grace of every kind, and their right and title to the heavenly glory. And the seal of these things is not circumcision, nor baptism, nor the Lord's supper, nor even the graces of the Spirit, but the Spirit himself. That's the emphasis in verse 13. Notice, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Turn back to 2 Corinthians 1. 2 Corinthians 1, where you see the same sort of emphasis in short compass. Notice in chapter 1, verse 21. Well, let's just go to verse 20. I can't not be there and not read verse 20. Come on. For all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him, amen, to the glory of God through us. Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Again, notice how simply, I think the word is cursory. He just moves through the persons of the Trinity without spending a long time defending that in this one divine and infinite being there are three subsistences or persons. the Father, the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit. He assumes that. He presupposes that. Notice the reference. Verse 20, all the promises of God, that's probably a reference to the Father, in Him, Christ, are yes, and in Him, amen, to the glory of God through us. Now, He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. See, it's not just Matthew 28 and that Trinitarian formula for the baptism of new believers, but the Trinity is throughout the Scripture, and the Apostle underscores that. Turn over to Ephesians 4. We'll have cause to look at this a bit later on, but right now it serves double duty. Notice in Ephesians 4 at verse 30. and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." So, there are several purposes for which a seal is used. To authenticate or confirm as genuine and true, to mark as one's property, to render secure. In all these senses, believers are sealed. Brethren, this is great cause for celebration and rejoicing. I've often said that if a saved sinner is ultimately lost, that reflects poorly on the Savior, right? Jesus comes to save his people from their sins. If a saved sinner loses his salvation, it not only reflects poorly on the second person of the Trinity, but also the third person of the Trinity, because he sealed us. What happens to that seal if we sent our way out of it? shows that it wasn't very binding, wasn't very strong, wasn't full of integrity, but the reality is that we're safe, we're secure. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has us or have us in His hand, and He will not let us go. And then notice how He refers to the Spirit. He calls Him the Holy Spirit of promise. This harkens back to the Old Testament. I think of Ezekiel 36, the promise of the giving of the Holy Spirit and new covenant blessing. Ezekiel 37, the Spirit comes upon those dry bones such that they live. Or the prophet Joel, Joel chapter 2, verses 28 to 32. We see fruition or fulfillment of that on the day of Pentecost. Peter says, this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. So the spirit would come from the ascended Christ upon the church to empower and enable her to take up her mission as given in Acts chapter one, verse eight, to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. So the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit of promise. He spoke through the prophets. Now notice, secondly, the Holy Spirit guarantees the believer's inheritance. He's still speaking of the Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. Now, this idea of guarantee, the definition says payment of part of a purchase price in advance. First installment, deposit, down payment, pledge. We all know something about that. You put a first installment down, you put a down payment down. It secures that you will actually receive that possession later. Well, the Spirit functions in that manner. He not only seals us, but he is also the guarantee of our inheritance. Remember back in chapter, or in the previous section, he has spoken of this inheritance. Notice in verse 9, having made known to us the mystery, I'm sorry, verse 8, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, in him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. There we saw that it's probably reminiscent of Old Covenant Israel. Remember, God gives a promise to Abraham that there would be blessing in Abraham and that Abraham would be given a land. And so when the children of Israel go and vanquish the foes, when they dispossess the land of the Canaanites, what do they do? They carve up the land. It becomes their tribal inheritance. It becomes their allotment, their portion as given by a gracious God in terms of the gift that he had promised to give to them. Well, the Christian in the New Covenant has an inheritance as well. It's heaven. We have something that far surpasses what we have in this present evil world. Certainly we have communion with our triune God. Certainly we have the fellowship of the saints. Certainly we have the joy that is connected to salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. We have already received that, but it's not yet been fully realized. We have an inheritance where moth and rust do not destroy. We have that land of blessing and joy. We have what Newton sang of when we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun. So the Spirit guarantees that inheritance. Again, brethren, the concept of the notion that a genuine believer, somebody who's actually safe, could fall away, could apostatize, could defect and end up in hell, that reflects poorly not on the sinner. Everything reflects poorly on the sinner because he's the sinner. It reflects poorly on the God who chose, the God who predestines, the Son who redeems, the Spirit who seals, and the Spirit who guarantees. He has guaranteed this inheritance that is in our future. It is most blessed, it is most glorious, it is most wonderful. Notice, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. Redemption in the context is doing double duty. Notice in verse 7, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. There it's speaking to individual salvation. There it's speaking to those who have heard the word of truth, who have believed that word of truth, who receive the forgiveness of sins and the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith alone. Verse 7 speaks to the individual's redemption. His salvation is being purchased with a price out of the slave market of sin for God's possession. But here, the word redemption is in a larger sort of a context. It's similar to what he said in verse 10. that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him." There is a recapitulation, also seen here as redemption. Turn back to the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 8, Paul sheds light on this whole situation there. It's redemption, individual sinners coming to faith in Christ, verse 7. Redemption of the purchased possession in verse 14 is this recapitulation of all things. It is the consummation of the age. It is that time when God brings us all collectively into his heavenly kingdom. Notice in Romans 8 at verse 22, for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. You see, there is something coming. We have been redeemed, brethren, but there is the redemption of the body. It's another thing, the creeds confess, I believe in the resurrection of the dead. Christianity is not gnostic. Christianity does not disparage the physical. Christianity disparages sin. Christianity disparages the distortion of the natural. But the natural, the bodily, the physical, God made that, and it's good. And He will gather us all out of the grave and redeem us, bodily, soul, and bring us into His heavenly glory. So verse 23, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body, for we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. And then again, Ephesians 4.30. Ephesians 4.30, I mentioned that one earlier. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Okay, so there's this redemption at the individual level, verse 7. But there is this guarantee by the Spirit of this inheritance in heaven until the redemption of the purchased possession. The purchased possession is not heaven. The purchased possession is the blessings of God for His elect. Notice this concept of the purchased possession. Turn over to 1 Peter chapter 2. It refers actually to the people of God. 1 Peter chapter 2. Another passage that really does, you know, set this idea of two peoples of God on its head. This is a passage that is taken from the Old Testament with reference to Old Covenant Israel and applied to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why do you think Peter's doing that? Because the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment or the fruition or the anti-type of typical Old Covenant Israel. There is continuity between the covenants. There is fruition. There is fulfillment. There is blessing. Notice in chapter 2 at verse 4, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house. a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." And again, this is where the Old Testament was always drifting. It's not some afterthought in the mind of God that the Gentiles are going to come to faith. That's precisely what the Old Testament prophesied. All the way back to Noah's oracle in Genesis chapter 9. Gentile inclusion in the covenant of promise made by God with Israel. Israel's Messiah is the Savior of the world from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Not two peoples of God, one people of God because of what Christ has wrought on our behalf. So back to verse 14, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, heaven, until the redemption of the purchased possession. The blood-bought children of God, the special possession of the saints. And we see that the purchase price is evidenced in verse 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood. You have it in Acts chapter 20 in verse 28. take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood." So he does that. The Spirit guarantees that. So when we come to security, it's not tied up in our performance. It's not tied up in our sanctification. Listen to me. I'm not suggesting sanctification is unimportant. But our security is wound up in the triune God, the Father who chose, the Son who redeemed, and the Spirit who seals and who guarantees this inheritance of the purchased possession. And notice where Paul ends. It is what punctuates this hymn or this celebration of praise throughout. It is to the praise of His glory. That's what matters. It is the praise of God's glory. Look at verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Verse 12, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Verse 14, to the praise of His glory. You see that emphasis all throughout Scripture. I think the psalmist captures it well in Psalm 115.1. He says, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. In conclusion, what Ephesians 1, 3-14 underscores for us is that there is one true and living God, and that the works that our one true and living God does are all Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We refer to this as inseparable operations. There's some technical verbiage that the church has used to protect the being of God as Scripture reveals Him. Inseparable operations teaches us that it pleased God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to create the world in the space of six days and all very good. God Most High is over providence. God Most High is over redemption. John Owen defines inseparable operations this way. He says, The several persons are undivided in their operations, acting all by the same will, the same wisdom, the same power. See, if we posited separable operations, we'd have three wills or two wills in God. That flies against in this divine and infinite being. It flies against the doctrine of divine simplicity. The several persons are undivided in their operations, acting all by the same will, the same wisdom, the same power. Every person, therefore, is the author of every work of God, because each person is God, and the divine nature is the same undivided principle of all divine operations. And this arises from the unity of the persons in the same essence. Now, this doctrine is being bandied about on the Internet as if it's somehow not true. Brethren, again, the alternative is separable operations. to distinct or deposit separate centers of consciousness in the one infinite being. We're not supposed to do that. That de-gods God. That un-gods God. That attacks the doctrine of God that the Bible sets forth. But there is a corollary doctrine called appropriations. Sometimes the biblical authors ascribe particular works to one of the persons of the Godhead. And they do that to reveal something about who God is in himself. And here we see that in Ephesians chapter 1. Who is responsible for your and my salvation? The true and living God in separable operations. Can we appropriate to the persons of the Godhead certain things to learn more about them? Sure we can. The Father, as being unbegotten, does the choosing and the predestinating. The Son, as begotten of the Father, is sent into the world, takes on our humanity, lives for us, dies for us, and is raised again. And then the Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son takes that work and He seals or He functions as the seal and as the guarantee of our inheritance. When we think of the three, we ought to think of the one. When we think of the one, we ought to think of the three. There's a very helpful quote by a man named Gregory of Nazianzen in his oration on holy baptism. We may differ with him on holy baptism, but we shouldn't differ with him on his theology proper. He says, no sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three. He says, no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. When I think of any one of the three, I think of him as the whole. and my eyes are filled and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that one so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light. In this divine and infinite being, there are three persons. Inseparable operations is absolutely crucial for us to maintain divine simplicity and the oneness of God. But this idea of appropriations shows us something of the Trinitarian relations among the persons of the Godhead. It shines light on us. It reveals something to us about the eternal relations of origin. The Father unbegotten, the Son begotten, the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. So let Paul teach you, let Paul tutor you, let Paul instruct you on how to praise God Almighty. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for what He has done, for what the Son has done, and for what the Spirit has done as well. Secondly, and we've already hit this nail on the head, I don't want to say three times, but I think we should say three times, the security of the believer. How do we read in Ephesians 1, 3 to 14 and ever conclude that somebody for whom Jesus died could lose their salvation? Brethren, that is absolutely abhorrent to contemplate even for a moment that Jesus could actually save somebody and then lose them. That reflects on the father who chose, the son who redeems, and the spirit who seals and who guarantees. If it is the case that somebody ends up lost, they were never saved to begin with. I realize we don't like this conclusion. I realize we don't like to think of little Junior who made his, you know, baptism at age 15 and then went the way of the world. And we say, oh, well, he's in a backslidden state. We never conclude that he may not have ever been saved to begin with. Look at 1 John 2. He explains this phenomena to us. 1 John 2. Verse 18. Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. Now, brethren, Antichrist is only used by John in 1 John and 2 John. Antichrist is not some political leader in our present situation. They are Antichrist, characteristically, they are Antichrist in terms of their operation, but to be this one malevolent, you know, bad eschatological meaning at the end times, that's not what John is talking about in 1 and 2 John. Antichrist was a heresy. Antichrist denied the physicality of our Lord Jesus Christ. Antichrist denied that the Son was sent by the Father. Notice in verse 19, they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us. In short, my promise to you, I say this on the authority of God's holy word, that if you believe the gospel, If you believe the word of truth, by grace you will be saved. That means your sins will be forgiven. That means you'll receive a righteousness by which you can one day enter into heaven. And there is no one, there is no thing, there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Go back to Romans 8. Paul has great consistency as he writes his epistles to the various churches. Romans chapter 8 and verse 37. Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, You need to see yourself there in verse 39, nor any other created thing. If you're actually saved, even you yourself can't stop that. Yes, there's backsliding. Yes, there's proneness to wander, proneness to leave the God that we love. But if we believe the gospel, if we are sealed by the Spirit, if we have the guarantee of that inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, there is nothing And Paul is very, very powerful here. Notice, again, verse 38, neither death nor life, angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And then finally, notice what Paul says in terms of the identification of that word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. It is the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. That's what we preach, that's what we hold to, that's what by grace we believe. The necessity is seen in whom, as revealed in the gospel, having believed. If sinners don't hear the gospel, they're not going to learn of Christ. If sinners don't learn of Christ, they're not going to believe on Christ. If sinners do not believe on Christ, then they're going to be cast out by Christ into that lake of fire. And then the power of the gospel, obviously here in Ephesians 1, but in Romans 1. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it, and I think Paul would mean, it alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Whether you're a Jew or you're a Greek, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. And then he goes on to answer why that is according to verse 17 in Romans 1. For in it, that gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed." Now brethren, in Paul's usage there, he's not speaking of the perfection of God or the attribute of God. We think of many things that are true of God. He's infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Those are attributes or perfections. And that's not what Paul's speaking about. Verse 17 in Romans 1 is the righteousness that God demands and that God supplies. For in it, for in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, that as it is written, the just shall live by faith. It's always been that way. Another death knell to this idea of separating the peoples of God. How were they saved in the Old Covenant? By the same grace, through the same faith, in the same Savior that you and I are. Old Covenant Jews believed on a coming Jesus. New Covenant Gentiles believed on a Jesus who came, who lived, who died, was raised again, and who is going to come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This is clear in Philippians chapter 3 as well, last text, and then we transition into the table. But notice this idea, it's the righteousness that God demands and that God supplies. Philippians 3, 7, But what things were gained to me, these I have counted lost for Christ. And he's speaking about everything he said previously, all of the religious accomplishments that he had mustered up. I mean, he's saying, he basically says in the preceding section, if ever there was a guy, if ever there was a man who could earn his salvation, it would have been Paul. I mean, Paul was everything. Look at his religious resume. He ticked off every single box as far as everything was concerned. He was a 10 on paper. But as far as he's concerned, that doesn't mean anything. What things were gained to me, these I have counted lost for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Brethren, believe the gospel of your salvation and you have everlasting life. There is no one that can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you're not a believer here tonight, may I encourage you, may I implore you to look onto the Lord Jesus Christ, to believe the gospel. When you believe, as I said, you're forgiven of all your sins. Verse seven is amazing, in him we have redemption. Through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. No real show of hands, brethren, but if I ask, what's one of the chief boons of our religion? Is it the forgiveness of sins? Amen, it's the forgiveness of sins. Having a conscience cleansed in the blood of Jesus, being able to pillow one's head at night, knowing that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's Paul's point in Romans 5.1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. It is a most blessed provision. but we also receive that righteousness of Christ that we see in Philippians 3, 9, by which we enter in to the presence of our blessed God. We receive the inheritance that Jesus has secured for us, and we dwell forever in the presence of our God. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you so very much for Ephesians 1 and what it teaches us concerning our blessed God. You are most high, most glorious, and most wondrous. You are from everlasting to everlasting. You are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we pray that you would help us to think clearly concerning these things and help us to praise and worship and adore you, our great God. May it be commonplace for each of us to be acquainted with this particular passage, to rehearse it in our own prayer closets, to bless you for the many redemptive privileges that you have bestowed upon us. And we ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.