Nugget #6 – “With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment.” (Ephesians 1:9-10)

    There is a Divine purpose that is driving every single aspect of salvation. This mystery does not concern the hidden and mystifying things of the universe. This mystery relates to God’s will, what He has purposed to do. It is the disclosure of absolute determinations. God is not divulging what you can do, but what He has determined will be done. He does this in order that we might participate in His purpose. If we desire to do God’s will, then we need to know what His will is; His ultimate will or purpose.  

    There are Divine agendas that are being served by time. But, there is one grand purpose toward which everything is moving. It is a Divinely appointed conclusion for the world as we know it, and it is wholly suitable for a great, wise, and powerful God! The duration of the world has been appointed by God Himself, and it will not extend one second beyond its appointed length. Human affairs as we know them, will come to an end. Time will run its course, and finally be swallowed up by eternity. When that will be “only the Father knows.”

    Presently, men have more knowledge about things in the earth than things in heaven. This is even true of the natural order; things concerning celestial space are not as well known to men as things on this our own planet. In Hebrews 8:5 the Spirit reminds believers that the entire tabernacle service, together with the priests that accomplished it, were a “copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” They were infinitely more than a mere blueprint reflecting heavenly realities.

    This purpose is fully as grand and glorious as it appears and even more. It is the purpose of the ages that has driven every involvement between God and men. This is the purpose behind salvation, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the new creation realized in Christ Jesus. It is the reason behind the Father and the Son taking up residency with us. It is that for which spiritual growth prepares us. This is the ultimate aim of Christ’s present intercession, guidance, and fellowship. It is the goal of the Spirit in making intercession for us, and leading us in what we do. It is not possible that God’s purpose will not come to pass. The only real issue is whether or not we participate in it. That participation begins here, in this world. It begins when we are born again, and continues throughout our lives through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.

“Blessed”

Nugget #5 - Redemption brings forgiveness, there is no other way.

(1 John 1:8) – “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

    I am going to draw from and give credit to John MacArthur for his content on his website called “Grace to you”. I like what he has to say concerning forgiveness;

   “The value of the gospel is that it provides complete forgiveness of all sin for the sinner who embraces the gospel. And the forgiveness that God provides for us is so comprehensive that it removes from the believer all defilement, all shame, all guilt, all punishment forever and replaces it with righteousness, security, and eternal reward. This is the gift of forgiveness. It is inviolable, it is irrevocable, nothing or no one can cause the forgiveness granted to the believer to be taken back, or to be rescinded. No one can talk God out of it, or change His mind, or successfully bring up any accusation against that believer that would cause God to cancel that forgiveness. The consummate promise that we cling to with regard to that is found in the eighth chapter of Romans verse 1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

    Back in Romans chapter 4 verse 7 and 8 – taken from Psalm 32 say, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” We are blessed because God will never take our sins into account. The Old Testament says; “He has buried them in the depths of the deep blue sea, He has removed them as far as the East is from the West, and He remembers them no more.”

    Yet, in spite of this gracious and merciful generosity on God’s part toward all who repent and embrace Jesus Christ, we (according to 1 John 1:8-10) “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” This is a statement of fact. However, very confusing to many.

    MacArthur goes on to say, “Psalm 32 is prayed by David. David was a believer. David was a child of God who confessed his sin. In verse 1 David says, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” In verse 3 He said, “When I kept silent about my sin my body wasted away through my groaning all day long; For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me, my vitality was drained away…Then I acknowledged my sin to Thee, my iniquity I did not hide, I said, ‘I’ll confess my transgressions to the Lord, and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.” Yes, David was a child of God, but when he didn’t confess his sin he felt tremendous pressure. It distressed him. What was happening was the guilt that was flooding his mind was having an impact on his body. Then he confessed and opened his heart, and he felt the free flow of God’s forgiveness and restoration. Believers by nature do this. It is the result of the work of God in them. It is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in them. It is the result of the Word of God in them, all of which convict of sin. Yes, God convicts the conscience of non-believers…but we are talking about born again Christians here.

    So, we have a problem here. We have a dilemma. Why would I confess and ask God to forgive my sins if I know that He has already forgiven my sin in Christ Jesus?”

    MacArthur goes on to give several opinions others have given on the subject, but here is the one that makes the most sense, and I believe I can agree with;

    “Well how are we to understand this apparent contradiction? Simple really, there are two kinds of forgiveness. It is true, as I said, that all our sins are forgiven as far as the judgment of God is concerned, He did that on the Cross. (That’s called “Justification”.) The ongoing confession of sin is related to sanctification. God is still grieved when his children sin. Yes, we are justified (which takes care of the judicial, or penalty of sin) but He wants us to be “sanctified” because we have not been delivered from the presence and the consequence of sin. That is an ongoing process and that is why we must continue to confess and be cleansed.”

(www.gty.org)

1 John 1:9 – “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins), and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Still looking at Ephesians 1:3-14;

Nugget #3 - But, what about the part about being “holy and blameless in His sight”? When we think of words like “holy and blameless” we think that holiness is all about being absolutely sinless and pure, and we don’t want to claim that for ourselves. But it’s not that at all.

    Holiness means “wholeness” and wholeness means “to be restored to the originally intended function, for proper use"…that’s all. Physical wholeness prevails when the body works the way it was intended to work. So, man (who was created in God’s likeness) body, soul, and spirit, are all functioning the way they were intended to function, we are “holy”.

    O.K. what about “blameless”? We have a tendency to confuse this word with “sinless”. There is a huge difference. If you did something sinful, and you acknowledge it, apologize for it, ask forgiveness, and do what you could to restore it, then there’s nothing more you can do. You can’t change the fact that you did it. At that point you are not sinless, but you are blameless. This is what God intends for us through Jesus Christ, to be blameless and made whole. Being made “whole” is a process however, (sanctification) made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. So, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit are all three involved in making us “holy and blameless”. 

Nugget #4 - Ephesians 1:7 - “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.”

    So, let’s start with “redemption”… Here are a couple more scriptures;

Galatians 3:14 – “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

1 Peter 1:18-19 – “ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

    “Redeem” means to regain possession of something in exchange for payment; to retrieve, regain, recover, reclaim, or buy back; synonyms are exchange, convert, or give in exchange for something.

    There is something about that term “redeemed” that brings joy to the Christian heart. We have been saved, washed, bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ! What a gift it is to be redeemed! Free from sin; Born again; all things new!

    A story is told of pastor A.J. Gordon of a church in Boston. He met a young boy carrying an old rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Pastor Gordon asked him, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “Well, what

are you going to do with them?” Gordon asked. “I’m going to play with them for a while, then I’ll just feed them to the old cat we have at home.” The preacher said, “I’ll give you $2.00 for the cage and the birds.” “It’s a deal.” Said the boy, “but your making a bad bargain, they can’t even sing very well!” The boy then went away whistling, and happy with his $2.00 Pastor Gordon then went around behind the church, opened the cage, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue.

    The next Sunday he took the empty cage to the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost, redeeming them with his own precious blood.

    We have been held captive to sin, but Jesus purchased our pardon, and set us free! When you have this life-changing experience of being Born again, you will understand that God chose you and loved you while you were yet dead in your sin, and He gave His only Son to redeem us back to Himself. Jesus was a priceless sacrifice. He was the perfect sacrifice. The perfect Lamb of God. And, while this plan of God may confound us, it ought to lead us to worship! It says in Acts 4:12 that “There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved, but only the name of Jesus!

We are still mining nuggets from -

Ephesians 1:3-14; “In love he predestined us for adoption to son-ship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” 

Here are some other related scriptures;

Romans 8:29

"For those God foreknew- (which is all of us) - he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

Romans 8:30

"And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

Ephesians 1:11

"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,"

Psalm 33:12

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance."

    These verses tell us that we were not only chosen before the creation, but we were also “predestined” to be “conformed to the image of His Son,” and to be “adopted to sonship” through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…” This is not to say that we then have no say in the process, or that some are “predestined” to die in their sins, because “free will” is also part of God’s plan. We have the free will to accept or reject the will, plan, and purpose of God. However, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Romans 8:17- “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”… who loved us and said “You did not choose me, but I chose you” add to this 8:39 “there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”

    I have had the privilege of being a part of an adoption involving a family in one of my churches, and these were my words (an analogy of scripture);

“In His great foreknowledge and love, I believe God predestined for Katelyn and Joe to be adopted by Jennie and Tom, in accordance with His good pleasure and will.  So, Now, from this moment on, in accordance with the State of Virginia and God himself, _____ and _____ are children and heirs of _______ and ______. Just as Jesus said that we did not choose him but he chose us, these children did not choose _____ and ____ as parents, but _____ and ____ chose them…and they have become a family. Because they are now a family, there shall be nothing in all of creation that can separate their love for one another nor God’s love for each of them, in Christ Jesus, Amen.”

    If you are a born again Christian, you have been adopted into God’s family; my question then is; Are you enjoying your inheritance? Do you realize that you are truly blessed because you are a child of El Elyon… the Most High God! No matter what your circumstances, you can determine to have peace, joy, and love because you are chosen, and predestined to be His before the creation of the world! WOW! This is amazing! You are Blessed!

First the scripture Eph. 1:3-14; 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

    Paul begins by giving praise to God the Father who “has blessed us”,,, Now, we tend to think of this in the past tense, and that is true, but we need to jump ahead a bit to the words “in Christ”, In other words, these things are spiritual blessings – “in the heavenly realms” – that are given to all who come to know Christ and have been born again, and are now “in Christ”. It says we have been given “every” or “all” spiritual blessings in Christ. We were blessed with everything we need to be content, to be successful, to be obedient, to be useful in the Kingdom, and to be happy in Jesus! Regardless of our circumstances.

    However, this is possible because these blessings are spiritual in nature, and they are continuous in nature; therefore, I have been blessed in Christ Jesus; I am blessed in Christ Jesus; I will continue to be blessed and will always be blessed in Christ Jesus; because these cannot be lost like physical or material blessings that fade and rot, and can be here today and gone tomorrow.

    With all this in mind, it will help us to learn what these spiritual blessings are.

First, let’s look at the foreknowledge of God. “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world.”… He “predestined us for adoption”… When it says “us” He is talking about all mankind; every nation and tongue; every color; every man woman and child! I can only imagine God at creation…

Day 1 – “Let there be light!” Oh, that was good! Let’s see, I’ll call the light “day” and the darkness “night”. I just can’t wait until day 6!”

Day 2 – “I must separate the waters, the top will be “sky” and the bottom “sea.”         

Day 3 – “Now I’ll separate the sea with dry land so man will have a place to live. This is so exciting!” “Wait till he sees the mountains and the valleys and the beauty of the continents!”  “Plants, trees, watermelon, figs, oh my!”

Day 4 – “Stars! Sun! Moon! Planets! The universe! It takes my breath away!”

Day 5 – “Let’s see, aha…creatures of the sea: Whales, Dolphin, Sea Urchin – (ouch!) Puffer fish…Ha, Ha, this is fun! Birds of the air…so many kinds and colors, I love it, and so will he!”

Day 6 – “Today’s the day! I can hardly control myself! I had better warm up a little… Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! Cattle, sheep, and goats…um

Pigmy goats! The kids will love em! How about a camel? One hump or two? How about both! This is all wonderful!”

    Then God said, “Now, the time has come, let’s make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over all that has been created! So God created them male and female – “God BLESSED them and said ‘be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and rule over it.” “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.”

    Before the creation of the world, God was thinking about mankind, and we were chosen…all of us…He chose us to be His, to be holy and blameless in His sight…He chose you!... Have you chosen Him?