God bless you. Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Ephesians, chapter number 1. Ephesians, chapter number 1. If we finished this week right now, the three messages that we've already heard have been worth the price of admission. My heart has been thrilled, both the two messages we heard this morning, and then the one this evening just a few moments ago from Brother Ingram. I am conscious of the time. And if you aren't conscious of the time and I am, then we're going to be in good shape. Ephesians chapter number 1, I want to tell you that an older pastor friend of mine, preacher friend of mine recently called me and he said, listen, I've got a really good story you need to tell sometime. And he said a guest preacher was standing in a pastor friend's pulpit, the host pastor was sitting behind him and this guest preacher just went on and on and on, and there was one man in the whole auditorium that just about the time you would think this guest preacher was going to wind it down, that man would say, Amen, and the guest preacher would wind it up for another five more minutes. About the time he was going to wind down, Amen, he'd wind it up five more minutes, and on and on it went until finally the host pastor sitting behind said, Amen, Pharaoh. And it rattled the guest preacher and he lost his flow, his concentration, and he shut it down right there on the spot. After they had greeted folks and everybody had left and gone home, the guest preacher said to the host pastor, why did you keep saying, Amen, Pharaoh? And he said, I was saying to you, let my people go! If anybody says, Amen, Pharaoh. Ephesians chapter number 1, verse number 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glory, the glory of his grace, where any of he had made us accepted in the beloved. Of course, Paul's sentence continues all the way down to verse number 14, and we'll look at just a few little snatches of that in our time together this evening. There's no way that I can even come close to dealing with all of this passage of Scripture, and I just want to give a few highlights. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Father, thank You for the Word of God we've already heard preached this evening and this morning. Thank You for how our hearts have been challenged and encouraged. Lord, we ask You to do it again in the next few moments. Father, that our hearts would be awakened to the privileges that we have as sons of God. Thank You for this time. We ask that You would be in absolute, perfect control of it. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. Among all the miracles of God, whether you begin with creation where God, by the word of His mouth, spoke these worlds into existence, or the miracle of the flood where God once and for all settled the question of how He feels about sin, or the parting of the Red Sea when God, by the leadership of Moses, parted that sea with the breath of His nostrils and they walked through on dry ground, or imagine Joshua standing in the valley of Ajalon saying, Stand thou still. And then Bible commentary says, and the Son stood still. We want to talk about a miracle. Maybe go with me to the fire of God falling on the top of Mount Carmel. Among all the miracles of God, if we move to the New Testament time and we examine the life of Christ, not counting the fact that He's the greatest miracle of all, But then we examine those 36 specifically named miracles that He performed during His three and a half years of ministry, not to mention the fact that multiple passages tell us that whole multitudes would come to Him and He would heal their sick. We imagine and see the miracles that the Lord Jesus Christ performed of the deep when He stood on the bow of the ship in the midst of a raging storm and said, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and the waves became placid. the miracles of distance, when without ever having to be on the scene, the centurion's servant would be healed and the nobleman's son would be healed. We think of His miracles on incurable disease when ten lepers and other lepers at different instances would be healed as well. We think of His power to heal in situations where folks had been suffering for a long duration of time. A woman bent double for 18 years, a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years, a man for 38 years laying at the pool of Bethesda, waiting for someone to help him into the waters when the angel would stir. We think of a man born blind and since his birth, and God tells us that he was born blind so that he could be healed for the glory of God. We think of those miracles He performed of daunting size when 5,000 men, not counting women and children, and 4,000 men, not counting women and children, would be healed. Of all the miracles of God, were they all to be written down? Not counting the miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ, probably the greatest of all miracles, has to be one recorded for us in John chapter 1 and verse 12. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power. to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. In that miracle in 1 John 3, verse 1, where we read, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Colossians 1, verse 12-13, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Greater than all other miracles. Two words are used by the Holy Spirit in our New Testament, among others, but two for our time together tonight, to describe my relationship and status as God's eternal possession by redemption. one we just saw in John 1 and verse 12, and 1 John 3, 1 and 2. It is our relationship where we are called sons of God. By belief, it is the Greek word teknon, which refers to a born son. Except the man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. And as though it is not enough that we who were before salvation aliens, and enemies, and strangers, and sinners, children of wrath and disobedience as Paul would show us. And then if you look in chapter number 2, as though it were not enough that we were saved when we were found dead in trespasses and sin. As though it were not enough to be snatched out of the pit of destruction. When we cried to Him in faith in the words of the psalmist in Psalm 40 and 1-3. as though it were not enough to be born again, and simply given deliverance from an eternal hell, just simply saved, Paul awakens us to an astounding and heart-thrilling treasure trove of privileges that go beyond being a technon born Son of God. Under divine inspiration, we see the Spirit of God put through the pen of the Apostle Paul, another phrase in verse number 5 of our text, having predestinated us into the adoption of children. The word children here is not technon, but it's the Greek word huyas. And under divine inspiration, the Apostle Paul and the Spirit of God would have our hearts awaken to the privileges of being not just a born Son of God, but a Son of God, an adopted Son of God with all of the glories and privileges that accompany being a born Son of God. I would like for us to consider for the next few moments tonight the privileges of Sonship. The Apostle Paul awakens for us. The first we've mentioned already in verse number 5, having predestinated us, not into salvation, but under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. It's important for us to understand, if we were to rightly interpret this passage of Scripture, that the predestination to which Paul speaks here is predestination to blessings that accompany salvation, not predestination to salvation. Now listen, I'm grateful for my salvation. I'm grateful that I have a hope of heaven and I do not have to think about spending in any way whatsoever, any time under the wrath of God in the place called hell. But I'm glad to tell you that the Lord didn't just save me from that in making me an adopted son of God. He has given me much more. The first privilege of sonship I see the Apostle Paul would show to us is that of adoption. In the Roman mind, there was a vast difference between a born son, technon, and an adopted son, or an adult son who had all of the full standing and privilege as the son of the father. There was a vast difference. You see, listen, the technon son, the born son, in the Roman mind was expendable. He could be sold into slavery if the father didn't want him. He could be left as a servant in the Father's house. We'll look at a few passages of Scripture in a moment that show us this concept. And by the Father's choice, If he so desired, after that boy, that born son had grown to a certain age, the father then could take him in an illegal transaction before a legal authority, a judge or a magistrate, could enter into a transaction where that son went from being just a born son to being an adopted son and he became an heir of the father where he was not an heir before. He could be sold into slavery before that time. He could be let go. He was a piece of property that could be disposed of at the Father's will. Keep your hand here and look just a few pages back to the left in your Bibles at Galatians chapter number 4. Galatians chapter number 4. Paul brings up this picture again. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant though He be Lord of all." That is hinging upon this coming transaction of being the adopted Son. But He is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father. Even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of this world, but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that are under the law, that we might receive, here it is, the adoption of sons. Because you're sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father, wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a Son, and if a Son, then an heir of God through Christ. Romans chapter number 8, I'll read these verses to you beginning in verse number 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. That is the term born son. For ye have not received the spirit of adoption again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption." Here's the second process entering in. "...Whereby we cry, Abba, Father, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children," now get this, "...then heirs." Heirs of God and joiners with Christ. If so, be that we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him. I want you to notice this, and I'll develop this a little bit more in a couple of minutes, and that is the connection in Scripture between our being awakened to our privileges as sons of God, our inheritance in Christ Jesus, the connection between our inheritance, what is waiting for us, who we are now as the sons of God, and how we are to face persecution and trial in this life. Notice what Paul does. He connects our inheritance, our being a joiner with Christ, verse number 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. If you'd go back to Ephesians chapter number 1, I want you to get what I'm about to say. What was optional in the Roman mind where a born son could be expended at the will of his father. But once he had entered into that adopted son status by a legal transaction, it was an irrevocable transaction once it had occurred. But what was optional in the Roman mind was instantaneous in the mind of God when I became a born son. He didn't wait to see whether or not He wanted to keep me as an adopted son. He said, listen, from the eternal counsels in the beginning of the heavenlies, verse number 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. In the eternal counsels of eternity past, folks, God decided they would not be two separate transactions, but the instant I became a born son, I too would become an adopted son. Don't you imagine that that was a lightning bolt of truth for those Ephesian believers? I notice that Paul, in verse number 2, refers to God the Father as our Father. In verse number 3, he refers to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who Paul tells us in Romans 8 is our joint heir. Isn't that a tremendous, possessive pronoun? So, I see the first is adoption. The second privilege of sonship that I see is in verse number 6, "...to the praise of His, the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Not just adoption, but acceptance. An acceptance in a tremendous place in the Beloved. Lest we wonder what Paul means by the Beloved, I want you to go to the banks of the Jordan River with me, and see the Lord Jesus Christ ascend from the waters, and see a dove lie on His shoulder, and hear a voice from heaven say, this is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Go with me to the Mount of Transfiguration and hear Peter, among many other times, stick his foot in His mouth. Lord, let's build three tabernacles. It's good for us to be here. And God from heaven answers who's the most important, who is better. This is my beloved Son. Hear ye Him. And I think of His great high priestly prayer, that is the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17 and verse 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, the Lord says to the heavenly Father, and will declare it. Now get this, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. You know what that tells me? When you're in Jesus, when you're in the beloved, you have all the love of the heavenly Father. He's made us accepted in the Beloved. All the indescribable love of God vested in the Eternal Son became mine in Jesus Christ. All the acceptance becomes mine. When God the Father looks at Nathan Dietrich, He doesn't see Nathan Dietrich. He sees Jesus Christ. Because of redemption, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace, in verse number 7, we've been made accepted in the Beloved. In whom, verse number 7, we have a redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Notice it doesn't say, out of the riches of His grace. Aren't you glad that when God demonstrates His unconditional, indescribable love, it never puts a drain on the bank account of His love? It never puts a drain on the riches that He has in glory. He shows us His love. He's made us accepted in the Beloved. He's redeemed us, forgiven us according to the riches of His grace. Folks will go through their entire life struggling to be accepted by someone. But may I tell you there is one place where all of us can be accepted, and it's in the Beloved. The third privilege of Sonship is what we could call abundance. Verse number 8, where anyth abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, the word mystery here means not a thing that is still hidden or difficult to understand, but the word mystery refers to a thing unknown before, but now made known. having made known to us in the abundance of wisdom and prudence that He's given to us through His riches and through His acceptance of us and through our adoption. He's abounded to us in this wisdom and prudence, having made known to us all the mystery of His will. of the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of time He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth." Let me tell you that this was a lightning rod truth for these Gentiles as well. Because the very mystery to which Paul is referring to here in these few verses, he would elaborate on in chapter number 2. And it was the mystery how Jew and Gentile in the church of God would be made one. And the old animosities would be taken away and the middle wall of partition broken down. And peace would come. I don't know about you, but I am glad that although God set aside national Israel And he's still taking individual Jewish believers right now. I'm glad that when that happened, the door was opened for me as a Gentile. We see the abundance of wisdom and prudence given to us in the illumination that we now have. We have the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us who is our Teacher. And John would say in 1 John, you don't have need that one teach you. You have the best of all teachers indwelling you, the divine teacher of God, this Holy Spirit. But I also see another kind of abundance given to us, not only the abundance of illumination, but also the abundance of our inheritance, beginning in verse number 11, in whom, that is in Christ, also we have obtained an inheritance. being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who withworketh all things after the counsel of His will, that we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ. I want to read to you 1 Peter 1, beginning in verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." Now notice this. "...Wherein ye greatly rejoice." In what? In your inheritance. In the fact that you're kept by the power of God. "...Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." Notice the connection again, as I mentioned a few moments ago, between inheritance and suffering. Inheritance and trial. Be awakened to your privileges as a son. Be awakened to who you are in Christ, the inheritance that you have, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. And cling to it in the midst of trial. Cling to it in the midst of struggle. Cling to it in the midst of persecution. wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." The inheritance is linked to encouragement in the midst of inquisition. The third privilege of sonship, abundance. But the fourth that I see is that of assurance. Beginning in verse number 12, again, that we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ. Notice, Paul is putting belief before sealing. in whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth and the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed." This wasn't something done before I believed, as the Calvinist says. After that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory. The privilege of sonship that I see in Paul's words is that of assurance. Remember we said that when a young man entered into that standing by the legal transaction of the full privileges and rights of an adopted son, it was an irrevocable status. God decided to do it for you and me the instant we were born again. As a born son, at the same instant made an adopted son. And God chose to do that for everyone that would believe on Him from the foundations of the world. As if that wasn't wonderful enough, we have the privilege of assurance. Most of us are familiar with the principle of earnest money. That is, if you're desirable to buy a piece of property or a home, you put earnest money as a down payment upon that home or that piece of land. The standard procedure of that is if That is entering into an initial phase of a contract, and if you back out of that contract, you lose your earnest money. I want you to think about something theologically here. The Holy Spirit by which we are sealed, that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. I want you to think about this. The Spirit of God indwelling me as a believer is the earnest, the down payment of my inheritance. If a man can lose his salvation according to the laws of business and finance, he gets to keep the down payment. He gets to keep the earnest money. If a man can lose his salvation, I get to keep the Spirit of God even if God backs out of his contract. And then you have a real theological problem, division in the Trinity. He's the earnest of our inheritance. I wish I had time to look at verse number 15 down to verse number 20 and look at another privilege of sonship is ability. Verse number 18, "...the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead," now get this, "...and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places." The fifth privilege of sonship is ability, but I must, for the sake of time, move to the sixth and the final. And that is the privilege of access. Verse number 20, the last statement. Jesus Christ, having been raised from the dead, is set down at the right hand of God in heavenly places. Look at chapter 2 and verse number 6. And half, that is you and me, We've been raised up together, and we've been made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I'm going to ask you a real profound question tonight. Where are you? Where are you? Now, I know physically you're going to say I'm sitting right here in Lattimore, North Carolina, but may I tell you spiritually and positionally, the Bible says you are seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And because of that, I have access. Chapter 2 and verse 18, for through Him we both have access. That is Jew and Gentile. We both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Chapter 3 and verse 12, in whom, that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. In Northeast Missouri, this very night, Wayland, Missouri to be specific, is a church building. In that church building is a sacred room. It's sacred for a number of reasons. The first is that all the walls of that room are lined with bookshelves chocked full of good books. There's another reason that room is sacred. There's a desk and a chair in that room. And at that desk and sitting in that chair, a man prepares pasture for his sheep. There's another reason that room is sacred. There's a couch in that room. And sitting on that couch, many marriages have been restored through the principles of God's Word. Sitting on that couch, folks, have been translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Sitting on that couch, young Timothys have been mentored by a Paul. It's a sacred room. As you might have already guessed, there's a little placard on the door to that room and it says this simple but tremendous word, Pastor. The members of that church understand well the sacredness of that room and so they don't just go in anytime they want to. They must go through a secretary or through an assistant or call and make an appointment because they don't want to interrupt anything that may be going on. But as the son of that pastor, I never had to knock. I had access into a very sacred room. And I tell you that in heaven tonight, there sits a throne. And on that throne sits the Sovereign of all the ages. By His right hand sits His eternal Son, who is my Mediator, who is my Advocate, who is my Intercessor. Round about that throne is an innumerable company of angels. There are seraphs that surround it. Six wings they have. With twain, they cover their eyes. Twain, they cover their feet. And with twain, they fly. Day and night they cry, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. Nothing happens in this universe but that it is not allowed or willed from that throne. And yet, I'm a son of Him that sits on it. And I have access. I have access into the immediate presence of My Father. Sitting by His right hand is the One whose blood paved the way when He gave His all on the cross and the finger of His Father etched the veil in two from top to bottom. so that I now can go to the Holy of Holies as a believer priest. I do not have to go through another man, for he that paved the way is thereto, saying, Father, hear the cry of Your child." Our hearts thrill to read of Enoch walking with God. Our hearts thrill to read of Abraham, the friend of God, of Joseph, who four times in Genesis 39 it would say, the Lord was with him. Our hearts thrill to read of a man by the name of Moses who it was said that he stood and talked to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. I love Deuteronomy 5 and verse number 31, a passage on which I've been meditating much recently. where God tells Moses, but as for thee, stand thou here by Me. We love to read of Joshua the young man departing not out of the tabernacle because of the presence of God being there. We read of the psalmist who wanted to find refuge under the shadow of his wings and be the apple of God's eye and be hidden in the high place We read of the prophets and our heart thrilled that although many of them were alone in the wilderness, they were alone with God nonetheless. We read of those two disciples on the road to Emmaus and the stranger coming alongside and opening the Old Testament Scripture and revealing unto them himself the Lord Jesus Christ. And we hear them later say, did not our hearts burn with them? as He talked with us, by the way. Our hearts thrill to know of the presence of God in the lives of Old Testament saints, but may I tell you that I have a place that no Old Testament saint has yet to have. And it is in the Beloved. In Christ, seated in heavenly places, right now. The privileges of sonship. I don't even feel like I've scratched the surface of Ephesians chapter number one. I hope I've left your heart longing for just a little more. Start digging. This passage is written for you. Contrary to popular Calvinist opinion, you don't have to be one to understand it. You're a son of God, if you're a believer in Christ. The privileges of sonship. Paul would finish in chapter number 4, as he moved to the practical aspect of this, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called. You're a son of God, and Paul says, be what? You are. Father, thank You for Your Word tonight. Bless it to the needs of our heart. I pray that we have been fed from on high this evening through the power of Your Spirit and the sufficiency of Your Word. In the name of Your precious Son, with whom we are joint heir, we ask this. Amen.