“Adopted by the Father”

The Book of Ephesians Series

Ephesians 1.1-6

Introduction

This morning we begin a new preaching series on the book of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians while he was a prisoner in Rome for preaching the gospel in 59-61 A.D. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is only six chapters, divided equally into half. The first three chapters focuses on Christian doctrine and the last three chapters will focus on the Christian life. This letter was a message from God written through an Apostle to give insights to God’s people to the wonders of God’s grace and instruction in how they should live their lives to God’sglory.

The Apostle Paul first visited the city of Ephesus for a brief time during his second missionary journey.

During that short visit Paul went to the local synagogue and reasoned with the Jews concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ.But it wasn’t long until the Apostle left Ephesus telling them, “I will return to you again if God wills.” (Acts18.20-21) Paul would return to Ephesus during his third missionary journey and stay for over three years.

Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province in Asia and was a significant center of trade that would bring people from all over the empire to do business in Ephesus.

Ephesus was known for its amphitheater, the largest in the world, designed to hold up to 50,000 spectators.

Ephesus was home to the Temple Diana, a pagan goddess. The Temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and many would travel to Ephesus to perform religious rituals.

The Church of Ephesus

The combination of the city of Ephesus being a Roman capital, acenter for international trade, a cultural hub, full of pagan worshipers probably played into the Apostle’s return visit during his third missionary journey. During his return visit the Apostle taught the Word of God both publicly and from house to house to both Jews and Greeks for three years. (Acts19.1-41; 20.17-38)During those three years the Apostle established the church of Ephesus, appointed elders, and fell in love with this church and these people.

You can sense the Apostle’s love for this church in his opening salutation when he writes,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1.1-2)

As Paul sat as a prisoner in Rome, he was reminded of how God set apart a people for Himself through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel during his time in Ephesus. The term “saints’ means “set apart” and is used in the New Testament to identify those who the Lord has set apart from the world by His grace to be faithful in Christ Jesus. We use this term when we recite the Apostle’s Creed confessing that we believe in the communion of the saints describing our fellowship together in Christ as His Church.

Doxology of Praise

After this short salutation Paul breaks out in a doxology of praise to the Triune God in verses three through fourteen. This opening section of the book of Ephesians constitutes one long sentence in the original Greek. It seems that the Apostle beginsto describe God’s sovereign grace and he just can’t stop.

I believe that the best way to read this first section is as adoxology of praise for what we have received from God. As God’s called out people, we are to give praise for the adoption we have received from the Father (1.3-6), the redemption we have received through the Son (1.7-10), and the inheritance we have received by the Spirit. (1.11-14) We will be looking at each of these in the weeks to come but for now I want you to understand that this first section is describing the way God sees us. Brothers and sisters, God views us as His adopted children, His redeemed, and a people for His own possession so that we would proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (IPt.2.9)

As we dive into this doxology of praise, I want to focus this morning on the spiritual blessing of our adoption by the Father through Christ Jesus. Hear now the Word of God.

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 would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to

adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (1.3-6)

Adopted by the Father

The Apostle begins, “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.” (1.3) Notice the past tense “who has blessed us.” Brothers and sisters, every spiritual blessing has already been given to us by the Father. The blessings of God through Christ are ours! While the benefits we have received from God through Christ are too many to lists the Apostle first wants us to be aware of the spiritual blessing of our adoption by the Father. As the Apostle unfolds the reality of thewonderful blessing of our spiritual adoption, he discloses that the Father has chosen us to be His holy and blameless sons and daughters.

His Chosen Ones

Paul writes, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Brothers and sisters, God the Father see us as His chosen ones. He chose us. We did not choose Him. We love Him only because He first loved us. (IJn.4.19) Saying that God chose us,and we did not choose Him does not diminish or eliminate the dynamics of personal responsibility, but it does establish the foundational truth that God is the original mover. God alonemakes the spiritually blind to see. God alone makes the spiritually deaf to hear. God alone makes spiritually dead alive. God alone makes unwilling willing.

The point is that God’s sovereign choice is the root of all subsequent spiritual blessings we receive in Christ. He chose us and embracing that truth is essential to giving praise to the glory of His grace. Trust me if you or I had anything to do with God’s choice we would want all the credit. And how does God get anypraise for that? He doesn’t! You do!

He chose us. The Father chose a definite group of people. The Father chose us, a definite group of people, out of the larger mass of humanity to be in Christ. The pronoun “us” must be explained by the context. When Paul writes, He chose us, he is referring to those he has already identified, “the saints.” (1.1) The called-out ones. Those who the Lord had set apart from the world by His grace who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

He chose us in Him. He chose us to be in Christ. God’s holy law had to be satisfied and only Christ could satisfy the law perfectly. There had to be a sacrifice for sin and only Christ’ssacrifice would be pleasing to the Father. The Father didn’t choose us because of us because He knew that we couldn’t satisfy His divine justice. The Father didn’t choose us because of us because He knew that our sacrifice was nothing but filthy rags. Therefore, He chose us in Him. He chose us to be in Christbecause only Christ is perfect. He chose us to be in Christ because only Christ is pleasing to the Father.

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. The Father choose of us in Christ when the earth was still formless and void. The Father choose of us in Christ before there was one flicker of light in the universe. The Father choose of us in Christ before He placed one star in the heavens. The Father choose of us in Christ before He put the planets into orbit. The Father choose of us in Christ before there was one angel in the heaven host. If you are in Christ today it is because before the creation of the universe, before the foundation of the world, God knew you and chose you to be in Christ. In eternity past, before creation existed, before you existed the Father fixed His gracious gaze on you and chose you to be in Christ to the praise of His glorious grace.

Holy and Blameless

He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. As I have mentioned before this is the way God sees us. Due to the Father’s sovereign choice, He no longer sees us as unholy and blameworthy. He sees us holy and blameless in Christ. Due to the Father’s sovereign choice Christ’s holiness is imputed to me. Due to the Father’s sovereign choice Christ’s blamelessness is imputed to me. Holy and blameless is our status in the eyes of God because Christ Jesus is our covenantal head.

This reality doesn’t excuse us from sin or give us the liberty to behave irresponsibility. Perfect purity and freedom from all blemishes are never fully attained in this life. But this declaration is describing the reality of the impact of Christ’s imputed righteousness poured out upon us by the grace of God.Therefore, I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness. (Is.61.10)

Our heavenly Father knows there are times when we stumble and fall but He wants us to know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom.8.1) The Father is fully aware of our weaknesses and temptations, but He wants us to know that because He has chosen us in Christ, He considers usholy and blameless in His eyes. Therefore, who will bring charge against God’s elect? (Rom.8.33)

Seeing ourselves the way God’s sees us as holy and blameless is a deterrent from sinful behavior instead of a license to sin. It’slike this: we understand we are in Christ. We understand that through Christ’s righteousness imputed to us we are holy and blameless. Therefore, we don’t want to bring reproach upon our family name by behaving unbecomingly. We want to honor who we are in Christ and be holy and blameless without spot orwrinkle or any such thing. (5.27) Our desire is to reflect to others the way God sees us, holy and blameless.

adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. (1.3-5)

As Sons and Daughters

God adopting us as His sons and daughters is His eternal heartbeat. Before the foundation of the world the Father choose to make you His adopted child. As a demonstration of God’s eternal love, He predestined to receive you into His family and to give you all the privileges as His son and daughter. Lord declares, “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My

glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Is.43.6-7)

Brothers and sisters, from all eternity God predestined to have a paternal relationship with you. Adopting us as His sons and daughters was part of God’s eternal plan. Unlike most parents who adopt, God’s plan to adopt us was not an afterthought. It was His eternal plan. As some of you might know Barbara and I adopted two sons. But before we got married, we never discussed adopting children. And after we were got married, we never discussed adopting children. Adopting children was never part of the plan. But a situation arose that brought two boys into our lives and we adopted them.

But our experience is not the way it is with the Lord. You need to know that before the foundation of the world, He planned to adopt you. From all eternity God knew your name, He knew when you would be born, and in love He predestined to adopt you as His child. From all eternity the Father has always seen you as His child. There never was a time that the Father didn’t consider you as His child. This reality should keep us fromdiscouragement. This reality should keep us from being deflated or downcast. We are God’s kids! God is our Father!

Notice the Father adopted us through Jesus Christ to Himself. Notice, “to Himself.” Our heavenly Father is not an absenteedad. No! He is active and always seeking to have an intimate relationship with His kids. He adopted us through Jesus Christ to Himself. As the Psalmist tells us, As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. (Ps.124.2) Brothers and sisters, our heavenly Father surrounds us with His presence. Our heavenly Father brings us to Himself, provides for our needs, gives us wise counsel, and advises us of impeding dangers.

You are probably familiar with the episode during the life of Christ when people were bringing their children to Jesus so that He might bless them. (Mk.10.13-16) The disciples, however,tried to set a barrier around Jesus to isolate Him from the children. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. (Mk.10.14, 16) I believe Jesus is giving us a physical manifestation of the Father’s love, desire, and aspiration for us as His children. The fact is that no one and no thing is able separate us from the Father’s love. (Rom.8.39) The Father brings us to Himself, takes us into His arms, and pronounces blessings upon our lives. This is the Father’s eternal heartbeat! And why does He do these things? Well, it is according to the kind intention of His will. This is who God is and therefore we should give praise for the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Closing Thought

If there is anything we can learn from these opening verses in the book of Ephesians it is that God wants us to know how He sees us in Christ. God wants us to know that we are adopted, redeemed, and have an inheritance. I am who God says that I am! I am blessed with every spiritual blessing. I am who God says I am. I am chosen, not forsaken. I am who God says I am! I am holy and blameless, not unholy and blameworthy. I am who God says I am! I am adopted, not orphaned. I am who God says I am! God are for me, not against me to the praise of His glorious grace. I am who You say I am!