CHOSEN!
Ephesians 1:3 – 6, 11
Introduction:
As kids, we often participate in team games or sports. Sometimes we invite ourselves to join in an ongoing game, at other times we have to be chosen to play for a team. I'm sure many of us can relate to the idea or concept of being chosen to play for a team or side. In fact, as kids, we would feel tense during the selection process because we want our names to be mentioned early on, as a sign that the one responsible for forming the team thinks that we are good players. If your name is mentioned near the end of the process of forming the team, you probably would feel inferior because you seemed like an afterthought, or just someone who would complete the roster of players. What is worse is if your name was never mentioned at all, meaning, the person in charge doesn't think you have it in you to be a player for his team, or he judges you to be a terrible player not worthy of a spot in your team. This is also true in professional basketball, especially during the time called the draft where teams are picking players. Some players just don't get chosen even though they may have excelled in college basketball.
I believe most, if not all, of us would like to be chosen to be part of something that we feel to be important or big. In fact, a sense of pride wells up when we have been chosen to be part of a sports team, or when we have been chosen by a premiere educational institution here in the Philippines or abroad, or when we are chosen to work for a prestigious multinational company. However, notice one thing from all these examples – you actually have to work on improving yourself if you want to strengthen your chances of being chosen. You see, you are in competition with many other people who wants the same spot on the team, or who wants to enter that great school, or to work for that big company. Your being chosen depends on whether or not you deserve the spot. This is how the world operates – if you want to be chosen, you have to prove beforehand that you are worthy to be part of the group or the team.
This morning, we launch our study on Paul's epistle to the Ephesian church. This morning, I will be looking into a section of Chapter 1, where Paul talks about God choosing us. Last April 17, Pastor Jay Banzuelo spoke already from verses 3 to 14, listing down the different blessings we have received from God. I want to narrow my focus to the subject about God choosing us. The idea of God choosing people to be saved is viewed as a blessing by some, and a controversial theme by others. I am not here to stir a hornet's nest regarding the thoughts of people like Calvin and Arminius, but to simply point out that, according to the Scriptures, God does choose people, and that it is a truth that needs to be accepted because it is in the Bible. I want for all of us to understand how God chose us, what he chose us for, and how we should live in light of the truth of his choosing us.
In our passage this morning, we find two words that talks of God choosing. The first word is the verb in the past tense – chose (v. 4). The second word is also in the past tense, the verb “predestined” (v. 5). Both words occur together in verse 11. In all instances where these two words occur, people are the objects of God's choice. God is the one who does the choosing. I would like for us to look at this first truth – it is God who chose.
God Chose Us First
The first truth about predestination or choosing or election is that it is God who chose first. It is never the other way around. What I mean is that it is God who initiated the process of salvation by choosing us to be saved. This is evident in how God, in the Old Testament, chose Abraham out of all the people in the world, to become the recipient of his grace and to become the channel of that grace to others. We also see this when God chose Israel to be the nation that he loves and protects. In the New Testament, we find the Lord Jesus telling his disciples right after some followers abandoned Him that no one can come to him unless it has been granted him by the Father (John 6:65). In 2 Timothy 1:9, Paul wrote that God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace. It is clear from these verses that salvation is very much God's work. He is the one who calls us to salvation. In 1 Peter 1:2, we are called the Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, for obedience to Jesus Christ. It is undeniable that the Scriptures talk about the election and predestination of people by God unto salvation. The emphasis I am driving at is this: God is the one who chooses us unto salvation. We cannot deny this truth. Now, how this truth really works out is actually something that we can never fully grasp, nor do we have the time to talk about it in detail this morning. I will leave it at that for now, but I would recommend that you read on the subject matter from good theology and Bible doctrine books.
Now, when God chose us to be saved, it was not something that he does as time goes on, as the situation unfolds. It is something that he has already done even before the world was created. In other words, God already had us in mind prior to his creating the earth. Our salvation was not an afterthought. He already planned for us to be saved.
One more thing about God choosing us, and that is, he chose us in spite of who we are and what we've done. When God chose Israel to be his people, it was not because they were the most populous nation (Deuteronomy 7:7 - 8). In fact Israel, compared to her neighboring countries, had a small population. Obviously, God was not choosing Israel because it was a strong and prosperous nation, because they were enslaved by Egypt. Instead, God chose Israel because he finds pleasure in her; he loved Israel. Likewise, when God chose us to be his people, it had nothing to do with the kind of person we are. He didn't go around choosing only the talented and gifted, the physically well-endowed, the financially capable, and the highly educated. In fact, if you look at the people whom God saves, it could be anyone, regardless of what their status in life may be. In 1 Corinthians 1:26 – 28, Paul described the people in the church this way: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. He then described them as being weak, foolish and lowly. Now, this doesn't mean that God doesn't save people who are rich, influential and noble, but what it shows us is that God does not play favorites. He can save someone who's rich and someone who's poor. He can save someone who comes from a good family and he can save someone who is sitting behind prison bars. He can save someone who has a degree from a prestigious school as well as someone who never finished elementary education.
God chose us, and its not the other way around. This is the first great truth that we learn about election and predestination.
God's Purposes for Choosing Us
We now look into the purposes as to why God chose us. Today's passage gives us some answers as to why God chose us. The most obvious purpose that I see in this passage is so that we might be holy and blameless before him. Let us look at the meaning of these two words. The word “holy” in the Greek is the word “Hagios”. Hagios in the New Testament carries the idea of being different. It means Christians, as God's chosen people, are to live differently than the rest of the world. The word also carries the idea of being separate, of belonging to no one else but to the Lord.
What are the implications of the two definitions of “holy” for us? It means God wants us to live each day with a perspective or worldview that is different from that of the world's because we belong to Him already. Because I belong to God through the salvation given by Christ, I should live a life that reflects that new ownership. I should no longer be following the ways of the world, I should no longer be doing that which my sinful nature dictates; what it means is that my behavior and thought must reflect my new nature. My mouth should no longer use words that are insulting and crude. My mind should not dwell on lustful and evil thoughts, but on God's Word and on things that are beautiful in God's eyes. My hands should no longer be quick to commit sin but should be used for serving God. What the sinful world teaches to be the norm, I must be the exception. If my classmate cheats in school, I will study hard and not cheat. If my colleagues in the office steal office property, I will not allow myself to do such a thing. If a motorist bribes a traffic enforcer, I will receive the ticket and pay the fine in the right government office. If my friends are all looking at websites that are impure, I will keep my eyes from looking at such things. Those are the implications of holiness. I will be different from the world because I don't belong to the world, I belong to God, to Jesus Christ.
The other word mentioned by Paul is the word “blameless.” The Greek word is “Amomos”. The word gives us the picture of the sacrificial system wherein an unblemished or perfect animal is brought before the altar to be sacrificed. If you are familiar with the Old Testament, you would know that every Israelites who wants to make a sacrifice must bring the very best to God. The best animal, the one that had no injury or defect whatsoever, was the only one acceptable as a sacrifice. Here, Paul is using the word to say we are to behave in such a way that no one can say anything wrong about us; no one will be able to find any reason to accuse us of being ungodly. While the word holy is about living a life dedicated to the Lord such that we are different from the world, blameless is all about living in such a way that people cannot validly criticize you regarding your faith in Jesus Christ. No one can ever accuse you of being a hypocrite or that you are disobedient to the Lord.
Now, it isn't easy to live a holy and blameless life. We can never perfectly live that kind of a life; however, I believe when we trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, what happened was that we were made holy and blameless in the sight of God. The fact that the believers were already called saints (v. 1) meant that they were already holy and blameless. So, what God wants for us to do is to actually live out our identity, to be who we really are in Christ. A dog barks, not meows. A duck quacks, not honks. A saint must live out a holy and blameless life, not a sin-filled life.
Aside from choosing us in order that we may be holy and blameless, we were also predestined for adoption (v. 5). This means we have been chosen to become part of God's family. Along with this comes the inheritance (v. 11) that is now rightfully ours as heirs. Our adoption into his family is for one particular reason – it is for the praise of his glory. It is to elicit and praise and worship from our lips and our lives. When you think about it – that God would choose someone like you and I to become his children and to lavish them with his riches, wouldn't that move you to worship? It should! That is why we should constantly remind ourselves of how blessed we are as God's children! When we do so, I guarantee that we can stop complaining about the problems we face and the things we don't have and start worshiping and praising God.
God has chosen us so that we may live a holy and blameless life, and that we may bring glory to God. Are you living the kind of life that God wants for you to live out?
God's Choosing Includes His Blessing
Finally, when God chose us to be his children, it includes the lavishing of his blessings upon us. Check out what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:3. Here Paul declared that God the Father has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (ESV). Take note of the word “every”. This word is used before a singular noun and it refers to all the individual members of a set. God's spiritual blessings are numerous and they are all ours in Christ Jesus. Look at all the blessings listed in Ephesians 1: adoption, redemption, forgiveness, the revelation of His will, union with God in Christ, a glorious inheritance, the Holy Spirit. These are all ours because we are God's chosen people. In 2 Peter 1:3, we read also that God's divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Wow. God's blessings upon his people encompasses everything – our salvation and our sanctification. He has given us everything we need to save us and to help us live a holy life.
In light of this truth – that when God chose us to be his people, he also blessed us with everything we need – we do not need to feel inadequate. That is why Paul could boldly say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).” He knew that God, through Christ, has already given him everything he needed to live the Christian life victoriously and to serve God faithfully. It's time that we who have already been chosen and saved by the grace of God to stop saying, “I can't do it” or “I don't know how” when God is calling us to serve Him; it's time to stop compromising your faith and give in to sin. God has already given us every spiritual blessing that is needed by us to live a victorious life; remember that.
An important thing to note is that the blessings are spiritual. It is called spiritual blessings because God bestows his blessings to us through the blessed Holy Spirit who comes and resides in us. What you receive here on earth, namely the material blessings, are just the bonuses that God showers upon you. While we all need material things to survive here on earth, remember that what is most important is that the spiritual resources we need is freely available and is ours already in Christ. Therefore, don't focus too much of your life pursuing the things of this world but make the Kingdom of God your highest priority in life. Live in obedience to him, love him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Conclusion:
This morning we've examined what it means when God chose us. We learned that God chose us first, and he chose us even before the world was created. We also learned that he chose us in order for us to become holy and blameless in Him, as well as for us to bring glory and honor to Him. Finally, when God chose us, he blessed us with everything we needed for salvation and godliness.
The point in talking about the subject of God choosing us is not meant to be fuel for theological debate. Instead, as we reflect on the subject, let it drive us to worship God. Jesus Christ has already secured our salvation since ages past, let us give glory to Him by how we will spend the rest of our lives here on earth.
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