In the year of Ezekiel's 30th birthday, he sat on a Babylonian drainage canal, mourning his home country, far away from Jerusalem, far away from Israel. Ezekiel is sitting in Babylon, part of the deportation, the exile of Jerusalem to Babylon, and he mourns. considering his homeland, considering the desolation of his people, longing for the presence of God and the temple at Jerusalem. Well, as he is mourning, God's presence is revealed to him. Ezekiel receives a vision of Yahweh. And God comes to him and commissions Ezekiel as a prophet, as a preacher, to go and to preach and to prophesy to God's people. Prophecies of warning, letting them know that if they do not turn from their sin, God's judgment will continue. And like other prophets we know about, God lets Ezekiel know that by the way, they won't listen. they won't hear you. But Ezekiel is to prophesy and warn nonetheless, not only of judgment to come upon Israel, but a judgment that will come to the surrounding nations that God himself will enact. and that he will do this for his own sake, namesake, to vindicate his holy name. But Ezekiel is also to prophesy a message of hope to a remnant in Israel who would turn, who would repent, who would look once again to the mercy of God. And for them, Ezekiel is to promise a day when they will receive what they needed the whole time, A new heart that would love God and that would obey him. A new spirit that would do God's work within them. And God promises a day when this will happen and God is clear to say, and I will do the whole thing. I won't wait for Israel to try to get it right again. I will do it. I will provide a new heart. I will provide a new spirit. and I will reestablish my people. And I will do this through proclamation. My people look like a valley of dry bones now, but through this word preached and prophesied, this desolate place will once again look like the Garden of Eden as people pass by and see it, Ezekiel tells us. The question now is probably what on earth does any of this have to do with Ephesians? We'll be looking at Ephesians 1, continuing our walk through the book of Ephesians that'll take us over the next few months. But how does this prophecy of Ezekiel help us to understand? Well, as we've looked at in the last few weeks, we have seen that Ephesians, as some commentators have said, is all about the inauguration of a new creation. a new people, a new united people under one head. Last week we saw this vision of heaven and earth being reunited in the person and work of Christ Jesus. And this is the cosmic plan that has been promised from the ages, that was promised in Ezekiel. And in Ephesians, we see the mystery. We're allowed to look behind the curtain, so to speak, to see how God is accomplishing this great redemption. And so I wanna continue to think about this this morning as we consider Ephesians chapter one, verses 11 through 14 together. And I'd like to do so under three headings in our time. One, our inheritance. Second, your salvation. And then finally, the great guarantee. Well, if Ephesians 1 is so much about unity of all creation, right when we get into our text this morning, we find a bit of an issue. In our verses, Paul demarcates two different kinds of people, right in our verses. And perhaps you didn't pick it up and first read, but if you look closely, you'll see in verse 11, Paul speaks about we, But he will move in verse 13 to speak about, but you on the other hand, which is an interesting place to go after just verse 10, Paul is talking about the unity of all things. And now he's recognizing two different types of people, one of which he associates himself with. So first let's consider who are these people that Paul is talking about? Well, as Paul starts out, he says that in him we have obtained an inheritance. Now, if we continue, and we will continue, and look in Ephesians 2, we see this more broadened out. And for Paul, this we is believing Israel. Those ethnic Israelites who have come to believe in the promises of God. Not just the nation of Israel, but specifically those who were, as Paul says, the first to hope in Christ. And in some sense, these have some sort of at least temporal priority in the gospel going forth. Paul will say this in Romans, that this gospel is the power of God unto salvation, first to the Jew and then to the Greek. Well, Paul recognizes this. that there is this we whom Paul himself associates himself with who were the first to hope in Christ. Now this could be understood in two ways. Paul could be talking about those who were the first to hope in the Christ, that is the Messiah, those from of old who believe that God was going to bring one to redeem his people. It could be those Jews who had received Christ after the incarnation. Frankly, we're not sure. It could go either way, but either way, he's talking about ethnic Jews who have responded to Christ, who believe in Jesus, who hope in Jesus for their salvation. And it is in this Christ that these believing Jews have been appointed as an inheritance. Now this verse is translated a little bit different in the ESV. We read this morning that we have obtained an inheritance. But most commentators would agree that what the Greek is getting at here is that these people have been appointed as an inheritance. That is to say that we are God's inheritance, God's treasured people, which is very consistent with the Old Testament, that Israel was called to be God's own possession, to be his inheritance. And so Paul is highlighting this reality that has always been true, that God in Christ is now reestablishing his own possession in his people. Deuteronomy 4 uses this language of those that have been taken out of Egypt for the purpose that they would be God's inheritance. Here we find that God's people are a prized possession. That's how God thinks of his own is those that for him are an inheritance, a treasure that he possesses. not because of their great worthiness, as we know, but because God has made them such. They are made to be God's inheritance by being predestined according to his plan and design. The plan and design that we read about in Ezekiel this morning, that God's people were in exile under judgment, compared to an adulterous wife or a rebellious child. Israel was full of idolatry, full of disobedience. But the promise is, is that for those who would turn, God himself would remake them, would give them new hearts, would give them a new spirit, that God would once again make Israel his own treasured possession. Notice the emphasis in both Ezekiel and in Ephesians that God does the whole thing. It's him who has predestined, it's him who acts, it's him who accomplishes. He does it all. Whether Ezekiel is talking or Paul is speaking to us in Ephesians, God is the one who will do this. And Paul highlights this, that God, that this God who predestined according to his own purpose and plan is the one who in this particular case will bring about redemption in Christ for Israel. God is sovereign through and through. Just as we heard it laid out in the old, we see it presented to us in the new and in full color. That yes, there is a redemption that is coming, but in the New Testament, skin and bones, so to speak, is put on what this redemption will look like. It is one that comes in Jesus Christ. And as Ezekiel says, not for their sake, but for my name's sake, I will do this. or as Paul says, all to the praise of his glory, he will do this. Israel restored in a way in which God receives all the credit. Well, this is Israel's story, but what about Paul switching to the you? Who is the you in contrast to the we? Well, that's what I wanna consider second this morning as we consider your salvation. Well, just as chapter two will go on to make clear that the we is believing Israel, chapter two will make clear that the you is those Gentiles, those of the nations who have responded to the gospel. In the same way that Paul wants to assure believing Jews that God does have a plan of redemption, he wants to assure those Gentiles in Ephesus of the same thing, that God has a plan of redemption for them. Look at verse 13 with me. 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. For Israel, Paul emphasizes this plan from all eternity that God would make Israel into a people of his own possession. But in the case of the Gentiles, he emphasizes in this seemingly new way that God is bringing salvation to them as well. And as strange as it sounds, he's going to do this through preaching. An odd way to save the world. But this is what Paul says here. Look what he says. He says, when you heard the gospel, the word of truth, Now, we are a people of empirical truth. Seeing is believing. We won't believe something until we have seen it with our own eyes, but that is not how faith, at least biblical faith, works. And this is a theme throughout the Old Testament or the New Testament. Ours is a faith of hearing. We see on this side of Christ return through our ears. That's how this works. And this is a theme. First Corinthians says this, that God is pleased to use the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. And he juxtaposes this to empirical evidence. The Jews want signs that they can see. The Greeks want wisdom that can be measured. But Paul says, we are here to preach what? Christ and him crucified. And that's how God will gather his own. Romans 10 says it like this, that, how will they believe the one that they have not heard? And how will they hear him without someone preaching? He'll go on to say, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. I'll say it again in Galatians, did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Prior to coming to seminary, I worked at a church in Minnesota, very different theological tradition, but a dear group of believers who loved us well, and worked with a pastor there who is still a good friend of mine, but we have some very different theological convictions which we can discuss. But I can remember being in a staff meeting one day, and the pastor was really emphasizing mentorship. Which, by the way, is a wonderful thing. Older Christians mentoring, bringing up younger Christians. Younger Christians seeking out mothers and fathers in the faith to learn from. This is a beautiful thing. But the reason why this pastor was so adamant about this being the model for our church is because he would go on to say, and I quote, and these words are seared in my memory, a sermon never changed anyone. And I didn't know why at the time that rung untrue, but it was seared in my memory. But it makes sense in a lot of ways. I mean, we're in a world where multimedia reigns. Why would you come and spend so much time listening to a guy in a funny robe talk for half an hour, when we could learn so much more on YouTube? Why would we give ourselves to this? Why would we as a church say that we see this as the rudder that steers the church? We would see this as the place where God works. Why would we continue to believe something like that? Because it's how God says he will work. Faith comes by hearing. and hearing by the word of Christ proclaimed by one of his ministers. The preaching of the word to the nations is what God has chosen to bring faith. Paul highlights this in Ephesians. And it's not just because wise hearers hear something that rings true in response to propositional truth. but because Christ himself, through the preaching of the word, is calling his own to himself. How does that work? By the power of the spirit, according to Paul. Well, the question is, is this a new plan for the Gentiles? Is this a brand new theology that Paul is coming up with? Or did we read the same thing in Ezekiel this morning? prophesy or preach, God says to Ezekiel. Preach over these bones and say to them, oh dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, behold, I will cause my spirit to enter you. Or as Paul says, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. From the very opening of the Bible, we find that God's word and spirit together bring forth creation. And that's exactly how he continues to save now. When his word is united to his spirit goes forth, it puts life into dry bones. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, the spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word in effectual means of convincing and converting sinners and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation. When we hear and believe, Jesus speaks to us. Not only does he speak, but according to Paul, when we hear and believe, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit that was promised in Ezekiel, that would bring about new life. God's very life-giving Spirit that meets dry bones and brings forth this new humanity, which Ephesians will speak about for the next chapters. God creating a new creation out of dry bones. What a beautiful reality. The question is, is this plan just for the you, just for the Gentiles? Why does Paul make this distinction? Well, Paul will go on to speak of the condition of the Gentiles prior to hearing the Word and that they are dead in trespasses and sin, just like that pile of bones in Ezekiel. But as we consider the prophecy to Ezekiel, this is a promise to the Jews. Ezekiel says that, that these bones are the house of Israel. So what exactly is going on here? Why all this we and you talk from the apostle? Well, finally, let's consider Paul's resolution to this and the great guarantee. If we consider Israel's history and the history of the Ephesians themselves, there are a lot of similarities. We know about Israel's history full of idolatry, necromancy, magicians, immorality of all kinds. Well, these issues were rampant in the pagan culture of Ephesus as well. We know magic was a big deal. We know idol worship was a huge deal. And we know this to be a place of great immorality. So these people have a lot of similarities off the bat, Israel and Ephesus, right? But the we and the you that Paul mentions has far more in common, according to Paul, than just their sin. That for Paul, they're both in Christ. Look what he says, he says, Paul starts, in him, in Christ, you, or we rather, have become an inheritance. And then to the Gentiles, in him, in Christ, you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. That for Paul, he sees the necessary distinction between these groups, and yet he unites them in Christ. He sees them as the same in Christ, and he'll go on to further highlight their unity. Both Jew and Gentile alike find their salvation, their adoption, their redemption in Christ alone. There is one way of salvation, and it is through Jesus. And according to Paul, both of these groups, the we and the you, will receive this guarantee of salvation by way of the Spirit. Notice in verse 14, Paul switches back to our, but for the first time he uses this first person plural to refer to both Jew and Gentile together. That this Spirit given is our guarantee, is our seal of salvation. To both Jew and Gentile alike, it is the spirit who comes and breathes on dry bones. 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 all of our inheritance, until we acquire possession of it, all to the praise of his glory. This theme will become very clear in chapter two as we get there, but as a preview, God wants us to see that these groups that were once we and you are now us. That in Christ, as Paul will say elsewhere, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, but one redeemed mankind in Christ Jesus. Paul will go on to say that this is part of the great mystery that has been hidden through the ages, that Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body, that they are part of this new creation and therefore they are part of these promises that God has given from old to unite all things in his Son. And for all who have heard, whether believing Jew or believing Gentile, we receive a guarantee, or perhaps better yet, a down payment of our salvation. Paul says that God himself has given us, has given himself as a guarantee that he will complete our redemption. He's put us on layaway, so to speak. And this isn't $10 towards a game console at Walmart. He's paid it all. We already know that. Paul's already told us that our ransom has been paid in Christ Jesus. The full price has been paid and that is the deposit on each one of you. And because of that deposit, you can know that God will finish what he started because he has placed his spirit within you. This is what it means to be sealed. And beloved, there is so much comfort here. We have to recognize that we can't nor will we ever be able to find our assurance within ourselves. But we find it in the reality that the triune God does the whole thing all for the praise of his glorious grace. The father chooses. And in the fullness of time, his son comes and accomplishes. And even now in this place, the Spirit applies that work as this word goes out and is heard and is believed and then dwells within us as a guarantee, as a down payment of this inheritance that is to come. Some of us might say that it doesn't seem that this work has even been started, or perhaps you don't know what I'm capable of when it comes to sin, or you don't know what I've done. And that's why God and Ezekiel and God here says he does it all. All to the praise of his glorious grace, and by the way, God is glorified most in saving those who seem unsavable. That's how God works, by saving the ones that could not be redeemed. He says that of Israel. He says, these people have profaned my name among the nations. Well, you know how I'm going to make my name great again? I'm gonna save the profaners. so that people will see that salvation and say his glorious grace is praiseworthy. This is such a great comfort that Israel in their constant failure, Ephesus and their idol worship, the prostitutes and tax collectors in Jesus' day, all those that will bring God great glory in their salvation because someone can look and say if that person was saved, If you, beloved, were saved, God must have done all the work. And isn't that all of our story? That God has done all the work, and because we have this down payment, we can be assured that he will be faithful to complete it. God's glorious grace is praised when he raises dead bones to life. And that is how he works then, and it is how he works now. And he is doing it even now. It might not seem like it, but it's what he's doing as the spirit goes forth. And as our attention is turned to the one who has secured our salvation, he is making, even in this place, a new humanity. of Jew and Gentile who believe in Christ for their salvation, bringing about a new creation, giving us new hearts, placing his own spirit within us, that we might know that he will be faithful to finish this work in each one of us. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let's pray.