05 Ephesians 1:11-14 Claimed and Branded

Title: Claimed and Branded

Text: Ephesians 1:11-14

FCF: We often struggle praising God for His work in our salvation.

Prop: Because we have been claimed and sealed as God’s possession through faith, we must praise Him.



Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Ephesians chapter 1. In a moment we’ll begin reading from the New English Translation starting in verse 11. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer.



As Paul began this sentence in verse 3, he ascribes praise to God the Father who has blessed believers with every spiritual blessing. And the Spiritual blessings He gives that make all other blessings possible are first on the list for praise. By predestining them to adoption as sons, God chose, before the foundation of the world, individuals to be united to Christ. Because of this union to Christ we have, right now, redemption and forgiveness of sins through Christ’s atoning death on the cross, and we are included in a great cosmic plan of God to put all things under Christ.



The response Paul demands to all of this is the praise of the glorious grace of God.



But Paul is not quite finished describing spiritual blessings we should praise God for.



Paul has talked about what God did before the creation of the world. He has talked about what we have now. He has talked about what is coming. Now Paul will share what God has done to us to change us, how we are united to this destiny God has for us, and how we will know we are His.



Let’s look at the text this morning. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read.



Invocation:

Gracious and loving Father. All things that occur, happen according to your wise deliberate will. You are in absolute control of your creation and that includes the redemption and possession of your people. Though we may wrestle to understand how all this works, we must praise You for Your powerful and sovereign hand in bringing it about. Bring to bear upon us the certainty of Your Word today. May we humble ourselves before it and submit to what it teaches and to obey its commands to praise You. For You are worthy of praise. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.



Transition:

[Slide 2] “The Holy Spirit is the heavenly Lover’s engagement ring given to us.” Michael Green



“The Holy Spirit is the only authenticator of Christianity.” Arthur P. Johnson



[Slide 3] “The ultimate answer to the insecurity or security of the believer rests on the question of who does the work of salvation.” Lewis Sperry Chafer



“An inheritance is not only kept for us, but we are kept for it.” Richard Sibbes



Let these words help to guide us in our exposition of the text this morning.



I.) We were predestined and claimed as God’s possession in Christ, so we must praise Him.

a. [Slide 4] 11 - In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession,

i. The NET does a great job at translating this text, but I still need to point out what they’ve done and why it is a good thing.

ii. First, the Greek text opens this verse with the phrase “in whom” which is really a modification on the phrase we’ve seen over and over again, “in Him”

1. Our difficulty throughout this sentence has been the pronouns. To which him is this referring, the Father, the Son, The Spirit, or the triune God?

2. But Paul’s emphasis in this doxological eulogy so far has been God the Father’s execution of a redemption plan that is not only centered on Jesus, but even achieved by uniting us to Him.

3. This was hinted at for us in the covenantal language of verse 3 where the Father is described as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Christ is the covenantal head of the New Covenant. And by God the Father uniting individuals to Christ, they inherit those covenant blessings which are only really available to Christ.

5. The scriptures use the metaphors of adoption and marriage to communicate this concept. As a bride, the bride marries in and inherits the name of the Father and Son. As a child outside of the covenant, through adoption the child becomes an heir of the covenant blessings shared by the first-born Son.

6. And so once again Paul is talking about a covenant in which through union to Christ, we inherit the blessings.

iii. The word translated “claimed” in this text, means to appoint by lot. This is used in the Old Testament to talk about the land and people whom God claimed as His portion.

iv. Many translations have this as “we also have obtained” or “we also have received” however, this verb is in the passive voice. It is not something we have done but rather something that has been done to us.

v. In fact, in this entire section, Paul uses passive voice verbs to describe what God has done to us.

vi. Therefore, the NET translates this well as “have been claimed” we could also translate this “were chosen” as one other translation has.

vii. The word possession in this sentence is a good word to complete the idea of appointed by lot. We could also put the word inheritance or heritage in here to get the same effect, which many other translations do.

viii. Now the words “as God’s own” have been added by the NET to attempt to make this clear.

ix. But now we must come back to the “we too”. We understand that we have been claimed as God’s own inheritance in Christ. But why would Paul say “we too”? To what is Paul adding this benefit to?

x. There are two good interpretations on how to see this.

1. The first and my favorite would be to see this go back to the most recent concept that Paul talked about.

a. In the previous context, Paul revealed the purpose of God’s redemption plan which was established in Christ. And that plan was to summarize or to bring to order all things, in heaven and in earth, in Christ.

b. By Paul saying “we too” and proceeding with the idea that we have been claimed as an inheritance, this helps us to see that part of God reordering things in Christ is claiming us as His own.

c. We too are things that God has chosen to keep in that new administration under Christ, by uniting us to Christ.

2. The second interpretation would be to go back to the main verb of the previous thought “we have redemption” and translate the “too” here as “also.”

a. This conveys the idea that not only do we HAVE a redemption through Christ’s blood,

b. But IN Christ we have been claimed as God’s own possession.

3. Again, I leave you to pick your favorite interpretation. For both are biblically true.

b. [Slide 5] since we were predestined

i. Unlike the previous time Paul used the term predestined, Paul puts this in the passive voice. God is not doing the action of predetermining a destiny for us, instead we, individual believers, are the recipients of the action of His predestination.

ii. Once again, predestined is used as a circumstantial participle.

iii. This means that the claiming that God has done, to put us into Christ, was in some way connected to His predetermination.

iv. Familiar ways we see things like this is when the scripture says “answering he said”

v. We understand that answering and saying are not the same thing, but they are inherently connected. You can’t divorce them from one another in logical connection, nor can you really divorce them from each other in time. They must be seen together.

vi. In a similar way God claiming us as His own possession in Christ and God predestining us must go together.

vii. Since they are both in passive voice, we could then render this similar to the previous example to say “being predestined we have been claimed as God’s own possession”

viii. But what caused God to do this? From what source did He consult to predestine and claim us?

c. [Slide 6] according to the one purpose of him

i. Again, we see the preposition of reference. It tells us the source of a plan’s formation.

ii. That source of the predestination and claiming us as His possession is rooted in His purpose.

iii. This is the noun form of the word we saw before where God the Father “set forth” or “established” his redemption plan in Christ.

iv. In its noun form we could render it, resolve or determination.

v. Meaning that God predestined and claimed us with reference to His own determination and resolution.

vi. Again, it doesn’t give us the answers we want. But it does make it clear that God is not consulting anything outside Himself to predestine and claim us to be in Christ.

vii. This is an important point and it is one that Paul will broaden significantly by saying…

d. [Slide 7] who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.

i. The word “accomplishes” has the idea of implementation. To actually cause something to function or to carry into effect. It implies power.

ii. When the word “all” appears in the Greek text without an article, that often means each or every… but when the word “all” appears in the Greek text with an article, it often means “all” in the absolute sense.

iii. In this text, the article is present. What that means is that Paul is saying that literally every single thing that is carried into effect, in all of reality, in the heavens or on the earth, is according to the counsel of His will.

iv. Not only the predestination and claiming of us in Christ, but all things that happen are brought about by God and are according to the counsel of His will.

v. The words counsel and will have been debated by scholars. They are, in effect, synonyms.

vi. Yet because Paul joins them in this way, it seems best for us to try to determine their nuanced meaning.

1. In other contexts, it seems that counsel is referring to intellect and deliberation.

2. Whereas will is referring to more of an inclination or an attitude of preference of one alternative over another.

vii. And so once again, although not satisfying, Paul allows us to see as much as we can about the process by which God has implemented and carried out all things including our predestination and claiming.

viii. All things are carried into effect by Him with reference to His intelligent, wise, deliberations which informs and guides His inclination to do as He pleases.

ix. God has not chosen arbitrarily nor by compulsion. God has implemented all things by forethought and wisdom. And that includes our predestination and being claimed as an inheritance.

e. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Paul moves now into a section of his eulogy where He praises God the Father, Son, and Spirit, for bringing Spiritual benefits to us. Paul expands upon what God makes us by the Son and the Spirit. Here specifically, by being predestined we were claimed as His possession in Christ which He brought about in the wisdom and deliberation of His will. Again, a humble Christian who knows how sinful they are, must simply praise God for what He has done in claiming them as His own possession in Christ.



Transition:

[Slide 9 (blank)] But why have we been claimed as an inheritance? Why have we been chosen as God’s portion? What is the point of it?



II.) When we hear and believe the gospel God seals us and gives us His Spirit, so we must praise Him.

a. [Slide 10] 12 - so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ,

i. Verse 12 opens with the purpose of the main verb.

ii. For what purpose has God claimed us as His possession in Christ?

iii. But before we get to that we have to investigate what Paul might mean by the word, “we”.

iv. Up to this point it was appropriate for us to assume that Paul meant himself and the church in Ephesus, and then apply it to the universal church as a whole. However, Paul will now specify a “we” he is talking about. And it seems like it is a different “we.”

v. The word the NET translates “were the first to set our hope” means to hope before.

vi. However, there is some uncertainty about the word.

1. First, this is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament.

2. Second, this word is never used in the Septuagint.

3. Third, this Greek verb is the verb “to hope” with a prefix “pro” meaning before.

a. However, Greek verbs that put prefixes in the verb sometimes merely serve to emphasize but not drastically affect the meaning of the word.

b. This could mean that we could translate this word “to hope firmly” or “to continue to hope”

4. Lastly, this word is in the perfect tense which emphasizes an action completed with continuing results.

vii. Commentators struggle because the pronoun changes in verse 13 suggesting different audiences and the verb’s uncertain translation seems to make this even murkier.

viii. Because of this there is some uncertainty as to what Paul might be saying.

1. One interpretation is that Paul is talking about the Jews. The gospel started with the Jews who hoped in Christ first, meaning before other people groups.

2. Another interpretation is also the Jews, but it carries the idea of the Jews hoping before Christ came. Meaning they were hoping for and looking to the coming of the Messiah. This could include Paul, even if he originally missed the Messiah and fought against Him.

3. Another interpretation has this “we” referring to those who wrote with Paul and the “you” of verse 13 referring to the Ephesians.

4. Another interpretation is that this is a rhetorical device found in prayers where the writer begins with general pronouns and then turns to second person pronouns to make it more personal. We see this in 1 Peter 1:3-9. If this is the case the “we” here is generally of all Christians who believed, and the you in verse 13 is of the Ephesians specifically.

ix. It is difficult to know exactly what interpretation to pick here. All of them have a good degree of merit. And none of them drastically effect the outcome of the meaning of the text.

x. If I was pressed to make a decision, I think I would interpret this as Jewish Christians who were the first to place their hope in Christ. But any interpretation I have mentioned seems to be acceptable.

xi. In any case, Paul has come to the human responsibility of the redemption plan of God. Everything Paul has talked about up to this point has been God working and doing. Here, those who have been predestined to be claimed as an inheritance have hoped in Christ. Their hope, their faith is the means God used to unite them to Christ.

xii. But why has God done all this for those who hoped in Christ?

b. [Slide 11] would be to the praise of his glory.

i. This is now the third time in this sentence that Paul gives the reason God has done all this. Why has God predestined those whom He claimed as an inheritance? So, they would be to the praise of His glory.

ii. And we actually see language like this in the Old Testament where God chose Israel as His portion for the praise of His glory.

iii. Meaning of course that the path for Israel to do this is to put their hope in their Messiah.

iv. For the Israelite, the inheritance wasn’t just for being from Abraham. It was through THE seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. The mediatorial head of a new covenant.

v. But what about those who were not Jews. Did they receive a different destiny? Are they fundamentally different than those who were Jews and hope in Christ?

c. [Slide 12] 13 - And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)

i. The NET omits the first two words which are another instance of “in whom”.

ii. But these words certainly should be here. It is the essence of all that Paul is saying.

iii. It is our union to Christ that is in view.

iv. Paul uses the words “you also” now to refer to those to which he writes.

v. Regardless of which interpretation you pick for who the “we” was in verse 12, verse 13 still makes sense to refer to the church in Ephesus.

vi. Paul assures the gentile Ephesians that they too have been claimed as an inheritance through the same means that the Jews had. Through faith. Faith in the good news of Jesus Christ.

vii. To hear is to hear with intention or with action. To hear and receive or to hear and act.

viii. It is not simply letting the good news pass into your ears.

ix. It is the hearing and acting upon that news.

x. Paul specifies that this word of truth is the good news of our salvation.

xi. And indeed, it is good news to those who have been given wisdom and understanding to perceive it.

d. [Slide 13] —when you believed in Christ—

i. The NET makes a misstep here.

ii. This phrase is flipped on end which does change the meaning slightly.

iii. The way they have translated this it seems that our belief is in Christ, which we most certainly do believe in Christ. But that isn’t really what Paul is saying here in this verse.

iv. This translation makes it seem like belief is a verb, when it is really a participle getting us ready for the main verb.

v. Instead, Paul is saying that in Christ, having believed,

e. [Slide 14] you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

i. In other words, we are united to Christ and marked with a seal of the Holy Spirit WHEN we believed.

ii. When we heard and acted upon the gospel in belief, we were marked and sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

iii. This returns our focus on the action of God.

iv. This marking and sealing are passive voice, and is clearly a divine passive.

v. To be marked means to be branded or to be set apart as one’s property. When we hear and believe the gospel, we are marked as God’s own possession.

vi. And this marking is a work of prophetic fulfillment where the Holy Spirit would come upon people in the last days.

vii. But now Paul will go into this idea of the Holy Spirit… in what way is He the promised seal?

f. [Slide 15] 14 - who is the down payment of our inheritance,

i. Let’s start with the word inheritance.

ii. This is the noun form of the Greek verb we saw in verse 11 – “have been claimed as God’s own possession”

iii. Paul is most definitely pointing us back to verse 11 to understand how this works.

iv. In Christ, we have been claimed, appointed by lot. We have been made an inheritance. We are a prize, a reward, a possession.

v. And those who have been claimed in this way by being predestined, have heard and believed the gospel and have been sealed and marked with the Holy Spirit.

vi. This Spirit is a pledge, a guarantee, a down payment assuring us of being claimed.

vii. God left us with the Holy Spirit indwelling us as His signature of ownership. It is an engagement ring, declaring that we belong to Him.

viii. The Holy Spirit acts as a little bit of heaven dwelling in us.

ix. Until when?

g. [Slide 16] until the redemption of God’s own possession,

i. The redemption mentioned here is probably not identical to the redemption Paul mentioned in verse 7. Paul indicated that we HAVE, present tense, that redemption. But it is clear that Paul means that there is also a future redemption.

ii. With the Holy Spirit being a down payment, it makes it plain that though God owns us and has branded us, we are not fully taken possession of.

iii. It would be like getting engaged. You are off the market. You belong to another – but you aren’t married yet.

iv. It would be like closing on a house and having the deed but waiting for the previous tenants to move out. Is the house yours? Yes and no. Right?

v. This redemption Paul speaks of here, is when we will be fully claimed in a New Heaven and Earth and given new bodies to dwell with Him forever.

vi. Well, how do we know that God has the deed to us?

vii. He has sealed us and left the Holy Spirit as a down payment with us until He comes to get us.

viii. Even in the book of Acts, the church was assured that people were truly God’s, when they displayed the evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling them.

ix. And what… AGAIN… is the goal of all this?

h. [Slide 17] to the praise of his glory.

i. God gets all the glory for this.

ii. Even though Paul potentially spoke to two different groups, Jews and Gentiles, himself and the Ephesians – the salvation they inherit is the same, and so is the purpose for that salvation.

iii. It is so that His glory would be praised.

i. [Slide 18] Summary of the Point: And so, Paul finally finishes his sentence not only talking about how God has claimed us as an inheritance but also the means that God uses to unite us to Christ so we can be His own possession. It is by faith alone. The moment we hear and believe the gospel, we are branded as His and He gives us His Spirit as a guarantee that He will return to take us home. God has done all and uses simple faith, simple hope, to join us to all that He has designed for us. And to that, true Christians must simply praise God for His glory.



Conclusion:

So, CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles?



Basics of Faith and Practice:

[Slide 19] Paul finishes his doxological eulogy. It is a masterpiece of praise to God for all that He has done in our salvation. Before the foundation of the world, by predestining us as sons, God chose us to be united to Christ through faith, and by being united to Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, and by being predestined we have been claimed as His own possession so that the moment we heard and believed the gospel, He stamped us with His mark and gave us a guarantee that He will come to take us to himself fully when the New Kingdom comes, and then we will be part of a new administration where Christ is all in all. My friends… is God not worthy of praise for this?



Let me break this down a little farther this morning, just to make sure we know all the ins and outs of this.



1.) [Slide 20] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God has predestined and claimed believers to be His own possession in Christ.

a. While this teaching is difficult to square with, and was absent from most of our biblical education growing up, Paul does not raise this teaching as a point of contention.

b. Instead, Paul raises this teaching as a point of praise.

c. If you are a believer today, a follower of Christ, then this has always been God’s plan for you.

d. He predestined you. He claimed you.

e. You are His! He owns you. You are His inheritance. You are His heritage. His posterity. His family.

f. Do you deserve that?

g. No. You do not.

h. What do you deserve?

i. Death. You deserve what Christ endured. But through His death, Christ atoned for your sin.

j. Through His life, Christ secured righteousness for you as He takes His place as a new covenantal head.

k. Through His resurrection He assures you of a future resurrection.

l. Through His ascension He assures you of the coming of a Helper, the Holy Spirit.

m. Through His intercession He assures you of peace and an audience with the Father to approach as sons for mercy and grace.

n. Jesus said in the gospel of John that He will not lose any that the Father gave to Him.

o. Jesus died for you. Jesus did all this, for you, and for me. In obedience to His Father.

p. So that a new administration could be centered on Him and a posterity, an inheritance, a heritage, could be claimed by God Himself.

q. God is still on plan A. He picked you before the world began.

r. You are not your own… but you belong body and soul, in life and death… to God.

2.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God unites us to Christ through faith alone.

a. God uses faith alone as the means by which He unites us to this destiny and inheritance.

b. It is not the mechanism or instrument… but the path.

c. Much like God used the blood of bulls and goats to pass over sin in the Old Testament. As the writer of Hebrews says, the blood of bulls and goats itself could never forgive sin. But God used it as a means to cover sin as it pointed to the future coming of the perfect sacrifice.

d. In a similar way, the New Testament never paints salvation as a reward for faith. Rather salvation is a gift received through faith.

e. Faith is always a means to receive salvation.

f. Furthermore, the New Testament seems to indicate in several places that faith itself is a gift of God.

g. I say all this to help us understand that saving faith in the scriptures is not a work we can produce from within ourselves as an unconverted person.

h. In order to join us to the destiny He has for us, God must open our eyes, He must, on an individual level, like He did with Lydia, reveal to us the truth.

i. But it is important to recognize that although God does the revealing and the gifting of faith – we are not coerced in this. God does not force anyone to believe or to reject the gospel message.

j. It seems as though God merely enables us to hear and believe.

k. And so – there is a human responsibility to hear and believe the gospel. This is the means God uses to unite us to Christ and all the benefits that entails.

l. This tension is difficult. But this is my attempt to try to explain it to you and I hope it has helped.

3.) [Slide 22] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God seals us with His Spirit as a down payment for our future redemption.

a. The imagery Paul uses here to discuss the Holy Spirit’s work in God’s redemption of believers is fairly unambiguous.

b. Although there are certainly passages that warn people who have made professions of faith that their faith must endure to the end, we must take this passage and others like it into account as well.

c. At the very moment we are united to Christ by faith, God seals us as His own possession.

d. Furthermore, He gives the Holy Spirit to us as a down payment or a guarantee of future redemption.

e. The passages that warn about faith failing have this one thing in common. They are all concerning people who are not showing evidence that the Spirit of God is in them. They are not displaying the fruit of the Spirit and/or holding to the doctrinal traditions that the Spirit has revealed to them.

f. All this to say, we must understand that from God’s perspective, once a person is sealed and the Spirit is given as a guarantee – they are His forever. He will come to complete their redemption. There is no doubt about it at all.

g. The only doubt that can be, is on our end.

h. If you are sealed and indwelled by God’s Spirit – you should be bearing fruit. You should be growing.

4.) [Slide 23] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must praise God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, for our salvation.

a. As an exercise of praise, so we can apply this immediately, I want to just ask you a series of questions.

b. If you are a true believer, I’d ask you to respond to these questions with gusto. Give praise to our God this morning!

c. Should we praise Him for all His work to save us?

d. Are we worthy of this salvation?

e. Is He gracious?

f. Would He have been right to judge us for our sin?

g. Would He have been right to leave us out of His plan?

h. Have we done anything to earn His grace?

i. Is the Father’s redemptive plan to save us worthy of praise?

j. Is the Son’s work to secure our redemption worthy of praise?

k. Is the Spirit’s work to seal us and assure us of our future redemption worthy of praise?

l. Shall we praise ourselves for believing and hoping in Christ?

m. Should we rather boast only in knowing Christ, in His death and resurrection?

n. Now some questions that aren’t yes or no and ones that you should think about and not answer audibly.

o. What ways could you praise the Lord this week for saving you?

p. What ways could you praise the Lord this week for His masterful redemptive plan?

q. What ways could you praise the Lord this week for His claiming you as His own possession?

r. What ways could you praise the Lord this week for opening your eyes and convincing you of the truth of the gospel?

s. Maybe you can share some of these ways on our CBC scoop page or with one another. Give each other ideas for ways we could praise the Lord for all these scriptures have revealed about His masterful plan to save us.

5.) [Slide 24] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God’s plan to redeem us began before time and He will seal and guarantee His possession of us with His Spirit.

a. We’ve said it a few times.

b. Let me say it again!

c. What a comfort to know that God isn’t winging it.

d. God causes everything to happen by His forethought and wisdom which is the source of His desires.

e. Everything that happens is not arbitrary or by chance, it is not thoughtless or random. It is by His design.

f. What a comforting thought that is, especially when applied to the redemption of His people.

g. He has never been on Plan B. There is no plan B.

h. Everything is going exactly as God has willed it. And even though that is challenging, there is indeed comfort in that as well.

6.) [Slide 25] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” God’s plan for redemption is accomplished by the counsel of His will and through faith in Jesus Christ.

a. The necessary conclusions of this statement bring us to what is one of the most common adulterations of the Christian gospel.

b. And it is that salvation, forgiveness, a place in God’s heaven is secured, somehow, by human effort and good deeds.

c. Some conclude that if my good deeds simply outweigh by bad deeds, that God will judge me worthy of His Kingdom.

d. Some conclude that if I am objectively a better person than some of the most sinful people that have lived, like Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn, that this assures me a place in God’s Kingdom.

e. Some conclude that God has done something for me, but in order to go to heaven, I must keep paying for my sins, and earning His grace, in this life or in an intermediate state where I will be purified and only then can I enter into heaven.

f. But the New Testament in general and in this text specifically, we see not only that God has done everything to secure our salvation, but that it is through the mere means of simple faith in the gospel that God unites us to Christ and all the rewards and blessings of His redemption plan.

g. What does this mean?

h. It means that nothing that we do can affect in any way our eternal standing with God.

i. God doesn’t compare our good deeds and bad. As James says, if you have broken the law in one point, you have broken the whole law. What are the wages of sin? Death. As long as you have committed one sin, you are worthy of death.

j. God doesn’t compare us to the worst humans who have lived to determine our eligibility for heaven. Instead, the bible says that we must be perfect like He is perfect. In other words, God’s standard for heaven, is Himself.

k. And where in this text is there any room at all for our works to help complete God’s work of redemption?

l. No, my friends. It is through simple hope. Simple belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ, that God unites us to His Son and all the benefits He has secured.

m. Why?

n. So men can’t boast.

o. It is only God. It is all Him.

p. So how are you saved?

q. Hear and believe what has been told to you today. Hear and believe that God has secured salvation for you in Christ. Hope and believe in such a way that it permanently alters the course of your life. Hope and believe in such a way that you abandon your sins and obey this God who has done all of this.

r. Hear and believe… and when you do, you will be sealed and indwelled with the Holy Spirit.



[Slide 26 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer by the Church Father Cyril of Jerusalem



God of all, who spoke by the Holy Spirit through the prophets, You sent forth the Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost.



Now send forth the Spirit upon us at this time, and by the Spirit also keep us. Impart His benefits in common to us all, that we may always show forth the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.



In Christ Jesus our Lord, by whom and with whom, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory to the Father, both now and ever, and forever and ever, amen.



Benediction:

May the Lord establish you as a holy people to Himself.

May He hover over you as an eagle over its young,

Who spreads its wings and catches them and carries them on its pinions

To the end that you who have put your hope in Christ Jesus would be to the praise of His glory.



Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.