“IN LOVE HE PREDESTINED US”
Ephesians 1:3-14

When tragic things happen to people or when the survivors of a loved one's unexpected death look back over the circumstances involved with those events, there inevitably comes the regretful thought, “If only I would have done this or that differently, maybe things would have turned out differently.” “If only I had called the doctor a little sooner.” “If only I had waited just a few more seconds, I could have avoided that traffic accident.” “If only I had told that person that I loved him or her before it was too late.”

Often, we see our actions, or failure to act, as having been the deciding factor in a variety of circumstances. And we often can carry a great deal of guilt of what we have done and what we have failed to do.

For this, there will always be God's gift of forgiveness—granted to us unconditionally by the grace of the heavenly Father, through His Son Jesus. The only remedy for the pains of conscience which we carry around with us is the assurance that there is not one single sin that we have ever committed—even those sins that have impacted other people's lives in a significant way—there is not one single sin that was left unpunished when Jesus died on the cross for us. For only by His complete remission of every one of our sins are any of us assured of everlasting life.

So, it can never be a case where one particular, haunting offense is going to be the one that prevents us from entering heaven. If you believe that Jesus is your Savior, then you must believe, on the basis of His Word, that He is our Savior from all sins. As far as God is concerned, there is no such thing as partial forgiveness. All sins have been wiped from our record.

Yes, God knows what you did yesterday—everything you did. And He has forgiven you. God knows what you did five, ten, twenty, or fifty years ago. And He has forgiven you. God knew you, before you were even born, and sent His Son Jesus into this world to die on the cross for you. In fact, even before this world and the universe were created, God already knew you and decided to make you His very own.

Listen to the words of our text: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”

What today's text shows us is that the matter of our salvation all rests upon God, and not upon us. That's precisely what the doctrine of predestination is all about. It's the Biblical teaching which asserts that, from beginning to end, God does it all. Meaning, that before this world even existed, God decided that you were going to spend eternity with Him in heaven. So, God necessarily, created the first human beings in order that you could come along one day. And God gave this gift of life to you, through your parents, so that you might be born into this world. And God gave you the gift of spiritual life to you in the waters of Baptism, so that your sins could be washed away and so that He could place His name upon you. And He instructed you in the knowledge of your salvation through His Holy Word. And He feeds and nourishes your faith through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. And He will continue to do all of that for you so that, when that moment comes when we breath our last, He will graciously bring us into heaven to live with Him forever.

But, obviously, in the midst of that story, there arose the fact that the first human beings, Adam and Eve, fell into sin—a prison from which they could not set themselves free. But God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son to live and die for us. So that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. And in order that we could believe in Him? Well, God did that too. He gave you the gift of faith.

From beginning to end, God does it all. That's the doctrine of predestination. In love He predestined us. He certainly didn't do it out of a sense of obligation. We did nothing to deserve this salvation. Rather, in love—out of His underserved compassion and mercy—He chose us to live with Him forever.

But is here, at this point, where this glorious doctrine of predestination comes under fire by our own skeptical human reason. For, reason tells us that if God chose some to be saved, then that must also mean that God chose others to be damned! Or, if God does it all, well then we can just live our lives however we choose because the outcome has already been determined. Or, in the same vein, if God has predestined some to be saved, then what difference does it make whether or not we engage in the work of evangelism? They will be saved anyway.

What we must remember, people, is that our human reason which thinks it is so clever as to raise these tricky questions, is the enemy of God-given faith. Human reason says, “Unless it makes sense to me , I will not believe it;” just like Thomas who wanted to see the nail prints in the hands of Jesus and thrust his own hand into the wound of the spear in Jesus' side, or else he would not believe.

But, who among us, by using human reason, could ever explain the deepest mystery of all; namely, why should God have had mercy upon rebellious, unworthy creatures such as we are?

That, human reason cannot explain. Rather, only God's Word offers the sufficient and true explanation—that it is all by grace, by that love which is underserved. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” ( Romans 11:33).

Is God really indifferent about who is saved and who isn't? The Scriptures say, “[He] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, (1 Tim. 2:4). “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live,” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Are we free to live our lives as we choose, as though it would have no effect upon our outcome? Just as God appointed us from eternity for salvation, so also, the Bible says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,” ( Ephes. 2:10).

And as for the necessity of evangelism—the simple fact is that you and I don't know who has been predestined for eternal life. And it might just be that God will use you to bring that individual, whom He has chosen for eternal life, to faith through His Word. So, as the Scripture says, “Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you,” (1 Peter 3:15 ).

All too often, we look at our lives as being too insignificant to have any real impact or purpose in this world. But, when looked at from the bigger picture, from God's perspective, from His view from eternity to eternity, it is an overwhelming thought to know that, “Many are called, but few are chosen," (Matthew 22:14, and that God has picked you, by grace through faith, to be one of those chosen few.

But how do we know for certain we are one of those chosen? The answer is quite simple. Listen again to the text: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… in love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ … In him we have redemption through his blood… In him we have obtained an inheritance… In him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” “In Him… in Him… in Him.”

The assurance is found in your Savior Christ Jesus Who has accomplished everything that has ever been required of us in order that we might be saved. God has seen your life from beginning to end—in fact, He has seen your life before it's beginning and after it's end, when our glorious life will start. As the book of Psalms expresses it: “ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them,” (Psalm 139:16). And with Christ Jesus as the guarantee of our eternal life, God will see you faithfully through to the end, until we take possession of our heavenly inheritance. Praise God, our salvation is out of our hands and totally in His!

Amos 7:10-15

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel , saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel . The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, “'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the L ord took me from following the flock, and the L ord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel .'”

Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Mark 6:7-13

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