Thank you again, Mark, Jake, for leading us. Appreciate that. Good morning to everyone. Beautiful spring day. Y'all tapping your trees this afternoon? Well, it's kind of strange, kind of strange. 

We'll see what happens. We're continuing our study in the book of Ephesians this morning, and really an amazing passage in chapter 1, verses 3 to 14. In this section, Paul is blessing God. We've been singing this morning about praising and adoring and giving glory to God. That's what Paul's doing in this one sentence that he writes in verses 3 to 14. 

Speaking well of God, praising Him, glorifying Him because of the amazing salvation that He has planned, provided, and promised in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We see that God planned this salvation before the world began in His electing purpose to save those who believe, that He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. 

We saw last time that He has accomplished our redemption through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who by Himself purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of God, waiting until His enemies are made His footstool. It was Jesus' one-time death and our place for our sins that redeemed us, that bought us back at a price, the price of His blood, into a right relationship with God. 

And it is only by faith in Jesus and Jesus alone that justifies, that makes us right with God. So this morning we're going to be looking at verses 11 to 14 and the truth that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance, an eternal promise, and the seal of the Holy Spirit indwelling us permanently until the redemption of the purchased possession.

I was thinking about how wonderful a passage this is, what amazing truths and promises we see here. Paul's seeming inability to find the end of his praise and worship in these 202 Greek words in one sentence. God is good. God is good to us in Christ. And the message this morning is that we have security and promise in Him in our eternal inheritance. We're secure in Christ, and God wants us to know that. 

Let's look at our text, Ephesians 1, 11. It says, "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 of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory."

I've given you five points on your outline this morning: God's salvation plan, redemption in Him, an internal inheritance to the praise of His glory, and sealed with promise. 

Well, first in this section, just to review and set the context, we see God's salvation plan back in verse 3, where it says, "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." 

God chose us in Christ before the world began. God designed the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ before the creation of the world. Salvation is the plan of God. We saw in our study of these verses that man makes plans, man creates religion, strives to establish his own righteousness, but none of this can accomplish salvation, none of this can atone for sin. 

Only God, through the perfect sacrifice, the sinless Lamb of God, could remain just, punishing all sin, and be the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. And only God could conceive of this plan. Only God could implement this plan through the Incarnation and accomplish it through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The plan of salvation began with God in eternity past. He chose us in Him. 

And next, by way of review, we see that through this plan of God, we find redemption in Jesus Christ. Verse 7, "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, which are on earth, in Him." 

This is the heart and essence of the gospel, of the good news. It was through the blood of Jesus, by the grace of God, the very will and purpose of God, out of His love for us, that our debt has been paid, that God has been satisfied and His wrath satiated. 

It is by Jesus and Jesus alone and His work on the cross that we have redemption, that we've been reconciled, that we have been made accepted in the Beloved. And all of this comes out of the character and nature of God. His love, His mercy, His grace, His justice, His holiness. Salvation in plan and provision is according to God's good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. 

And we saw that in this was the eternal plan of God. 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, which are on earth, in Him." 

In this profound verse, God contemplates a regathering, a restoration from the fall to the former condition, when everything was in perfect unity and serving God's ends. And we looked at Romans 8 last time to understand verse 10 more fully. 

And I just think this is such a deep, important truth. I want to go back to Romans 8 at verse 18, if you'll follow along with me. We're going to look at this passage a couple times today. Romans 8, 18, Paul really summarizes what he's saying over in Ephesians 1, 10. 

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." 

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 firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan 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. The promise, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is a restoration, an ending of the curse, a glorious revealing. What is to come is glory. And all glory is wrapped up in Jesus Christ. 

All judgment is committed to Jesus Christ. This is the end of an age, the beginning of a final state, a new heavens, a new earth in which righteousness dwells. I want to read to you Weiss' comment on that verse again because I think it really helps us understand. He says, "The purpose of God, therefore, is with a view to the administration that has to do with the completion of the seasons or ages. At the close of the messianic kingdom, the great white throne judgment will take place at which all lost human beings, fallen angels, and demons will be judged. The material universe, cursed by sin, will be brought back to its pristine state. The saved of the human race will live on in the new earth and the endless eternal ages will begin." 

This is what is meant by an administration of the completion of the seasons. God will accomplish all this restoration work in and through the Lord Jesus and His atoning death on the cross. He is the head, the center around which God revolves everything he does in relation to sin and salvation. End quote. 

So we've seen God's plan and election and predestination before the foundation of the world. We've seen God's provision and the person and work of Jesus Christ accomplishing our redemption and this redemptive work as the basis for the consummation of all things in Christ. So this morning I want to move on to our text and see the inheritance, an eternal inheritance in Him. Verse 11 again, "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 of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. 

Well, verse 11 is another amazing verse. It literally says that we have been made an inheritance. God has through His redemptive work made us His heritage, His inheritance. The word here speaks of being allotted a portion, but in this verse the verb is in the passive voice. O'Brien and Vine and Wiest all agree that the best translation is something to this effect. We were claimed by God as His portion or God designated us as His heritage. 

It reminds me Hebrews 2 where it says He's not ashamed to call us His brethren. You know, He's made us His. It speaks of personal ownership. We see this also down in verses 13 and 14 where it says 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 by the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. 

The idea of a seal here in verse 13 speaks of ownership and protection as well as a finished product ready to be delivered. The word was used of a brand in the case of cattle or even on a slave. It signified ownership, protection, and the idea of a seal as a sign of completion is replete throughout the Old Testament. 

In verse 14 we are called the purchased possession. God redeemed us. He bought us back at the price of the blood of Jesus Christ in order that He might make us His own personal possession and might give us to Christ. It's hard to really wrap your mind around that idea. 

We see much of this promised and prefigured in the Old Testament. Psalm 33 verse 12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance." In Deuteronomy 4.20, "But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace out of Egypt to be His people and inheritance as you are this day." 

In Deuteronomy 9.29, "Yet they are your people and your inheritance whom you brought out by your mighty power and by your outstretched arm." The point here is that God, by His own will and purpose, of His own volition, by His own power, has made us His inheritance, His own purchased possession, His own special people. 

But we see a couple very interesting points here in our text. There's a great need as you study to pay attention to the words, to the context, to the grammar. Yes, to the grammar. A little nod for Lisa and Bobby there. Notice verse 11 and 12, Paul uses the word we. We have been made an inheritance. We who first trusted. But in verse 13, Paul switches to the word you. In him, you also. 

What's the significance of this? Who is the we and who is the you? In the New King James Version, we see here the translation of proelpidzo as we who first trusted. But the word actually means to hope before. Pro, right? 

Listen to this as Vincent explains what the word means here. He says we refers to Jewish Christians and the verb describes their messianic hope before, pro, the advent of Christ. The RSV translates this way. We who had hoped before. And Christ should be the Christ. There's a definite article there in the Greek. So it should be in the Christ as the subject of the messianic expectation and not as Jesus who for whom Christ passed into a proper name. It's equivalent to in the Messiah. 

They hope before in the Messiah. We who hope before in the Messiah. The idea here is consistent with all of those Old Testament passages. We looked at is we meaning Jews who first hoped in the coming of the Christ. 

We were predestined to be to the praise of his glory. If you look at this and link it with verse 11, it says this. In him according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will. We who first hoped in the Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. 

The emphasis here is that God works all things according to the counsel of his will. His plan before the world began and his will was that his own chosen heritage. Those who first had hoped in the coming of Messiah, Jews, would be saved to the praise of His glory. 

The we here refers to the remnant, the chosen of Israel, who first hoped in Christ and were the first in the church to believe and be saved, all this for the purpose of living to the praise of His glory. That's what we see over and over in this text. 

Turn over to Romans 11 with me, please, 11 at verse 1. Paul comments on this here. Romans 11, 1, "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew? Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 'Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars and I alone am left and they seek my life?' But what does the divine response say to him? 

'I have reserved for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.' Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace, according to the purpose of His will, right? He works all things according to the purpose of His will. 

Now if you go back to our text in verse 13, Paul says, "you also," you also, here referring to the Gentiles who heard the gospel, who believed and were saved, they too were to be the praise of His glory. You see that? Ephesians 1.13, "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 of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." 

Notice the word, our, which Paul uses in verse 14. O-U-R, we can't say that word down south either, our. Which Paul uses in verse 14, he says, bringing all believers together, Jew and Gentile and Christ, our inheritance, what? To the praise of His glory. 

Here in this opening eulogy, Paul's laying down the foundation for those topics he's going to flesh out in the course of the letter. Here in verses 11 to 14, God's eternal plan to bring Jew and Gentile together in one body, the church, for the praise of His glory. 

Turn over to Ephesians 2.11, we'll see this. Paul begins, kind of lays this down, much like he does in the book of Romans in those first 16 verses, he tells us everything he's going to talk about in the book, basically. 

Ephesians 2.11, "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for He Himself is our peace, who has made both one 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 have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." 

This is the mystery revealed, Jew and Gentile together in one body, both for the praise of His glory, and if we follow that down into chapter 3, we see Paul discussing God's plan to reveal this mystery, hidden in ages past but now revealed, Jew and Gentile, one body in the church, and this purpose is reinforced at the end of that great chapter, chapter 3 verse 20, "now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him, what? Be glory in the church." 

The whole point and emphasis is that all of this God's salvation plan that He designed, that He implemented, that He brought to pass, that He promised, that Jesus accomplished, is all for His glory, to the praise of His glory. Saving Jew as He elected and promised, saving Gentile, bringing them together in one body in the church, to the praise of His glory. 

Let's go back to Ephesians 1.11, and I hope that these verses have a fuller meaning as we see the point and purpose of the salvation of the remnant of Israel, the Gentiles in one body. 

"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 of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." 

Our inheritance is in Christ. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, in Him you also trusted, having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance. So our inheritance is in Christ and it includes all that we have in Him. We've seen this in redemption, in Christ, there's no condemnation, we have been accepted in the Beloved, we have been justified, we have been made right with God, we see this in regeneration and sanctification, our union with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection, and the subsequent new life of holiness and righteousness that comes from His life in and through us as we abide in Him by faith. 

But most specifically in verse 14 of our text, Paul is talking about the future aspect of our salvation, the promise of glorification, the redemption of the purchased possession, the glorification of our bodies at the rapture of the church. We know this promise in 1 Thess 4, 13, Paul says, "I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." 

Paul also speaks of this transformation in 1 Corinthians 15, he says, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery, here's something else Paul's going to reveal to us, it's never before been revealed, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. Our inheritance is the fullness of salvation found in Jesus Christ, culminating in the final transformation of our bodies into our glorious heavenly bodies, as we read about in Romans 8 earlier, and then ruling and reigning with Christ for a thousand years and ultimately eternity together with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth. 

Our salvation will be complete, will be realized in our glorification, and that's the time we anticipate, it's a time we look forward to, that we long for and groan inwardly as we hope, confidently waiting for the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. 

And my friends, this hope is by promise. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, he says, which is the guarantee, the earnest, the down payment that God's given us to guarantee our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. 

We were sealed with promise. The Holy Spirit is the earnest. In Romans 8 we read that He subjected it, not willingly, but in hope. That hope is a confident assurance. Our inheritance is ours. We are in Christ. But the fullness of our inheritance has not yet been revealed. We see the promise of this revelation in several places in the Scriptures. 

Turn over to 1 John 3 with me, please. Beautiful statement about this, the Apostle John in 1 John chapter 3 at verse 1. He writes, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure." 

In Romans 8 also, I want to go back to that great passage as we close here this morning in Romans 8. We see first that we are heirs of Christ, starting back in Romans 8, 12. He says, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, look at this, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." 

And in the following verses we see our hope, our promise of glorification, the revealing of the sons of God. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now and not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 

We have a promise, my friends, a guarantee of our inheritance. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells us and He comforts us and guides us while we're waiting and we're hoping for what will happen, what will be revealed, what is certain, the glory that shall be revealed in us. And that hope, that confident assurance saves us now. 

Verse 24 of Romans 8, "for we are saved in this hope." We are saved in this hope. We eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Our hope, the promise of the Holy Spirit of the glorious revealing of the sons of God, our hope based in the promise of God, the God who cannot lie, who works all things according to the counsel of His will, He who has promised what will perform it, who has predestined us, He has chosen us, He has redeemed us, He has made us His own personal possession. 

Our hope now saves us today. What does it save us from? From fear, from doubt, from discouragement, and we hope for what has not yet been revealed, what has not yet been realized based on His promise, on His Word, on His truth. We eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 

My brothers and sisters, the sufferings we now experience are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. In John 14, 1, Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." 

This is the promise of God. We have the Word of Jesus. We have the guarantee of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have the certainty of our salvation. So in this text, we see God's salvation plan. We see redemption in Him. We see an eternal inheritance. We see that all of this is for the praise of His glory, and that we have been sealed with a promise. 

We have been sealed, completed, and we're just waiting to be delivered. How can we respond to this great salvation that God has planned, that God has provided, that God has promised, but to live a life that says, thank you? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father, for this great salvation that we now have by inheritance through faith in and union with Jesus Christ. 

And we look forward to anticipate earnestly the fullness of our salvation and the redemption of the purchased possession, the glorification of our bodies when Jesus comes back to take us to the Father's house. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for these amazing truths, these wonderful promises. Thank you that you are the sufficiency by your grace, not only for our salvation, but for our life today and for our eternity to come. 

We thank you for your grace, we give you all the glory and praise, we adore you, we worship you, we want to live a life of thankfulness and tell others about this great news of salvation through faith in Jesus. His name we pray. Amen.