According to His Will

Ep. 1:5c Ephesians 1 & 2

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Ephesians 1:5-6, focusing on the phrase "according to the good pleasure of his will" as the ground of election and predestination. He defines God's 'good pleasure' as an exercise of sovereign will in which there was sheer delight, stemming from its consistency with God's attributes, the delight it brings to the creature, and the honor it brings to Christ. Martin then issues three warnings: against severing God's joined truths, against unsanctified logic that misrepresents God's will, and against abusing this doctrine as an excuse for indifference to the gospel.

2 illustrations in this sermon

Defining 'The Good Pleasure of His Will'

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Child's Operation vs. Garden Planting

Driving home: So, so that in this phrase, according to the good pleasure of His will, there is not only the note of inflexible, untalented sovereignty, but there is the concept of ineffable delight.

This analogy contrasts a child's determination to undergo an operation for health (mere will) with the pleasure derived from planting a garden (good pleasure), illustrating the difference between God's general will and His 'good pleasure' in election.

It has reference to an exercise of the will of God, which was not mere determination and mere sovereign purpose, which it is His right, to have and to exercise. But it has reference to an exercise of the will of God in which there was sheer delight. Now let me illustrate the contrast between the two. Suppose one of you youngsters was to come to your mummy tomorrow and say, Mummy, I haven't been telling you about this because I was afraid I might have to go to the doctor, but I've been having a pain in such and such a place for the past three or four days.

18:42 - 19:21 Read in full sermon

Reasons for God's Delight in His Sovereign Will

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Returning a Turtle to its Pond

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains why God finds delight in His sovereign will: it is consistent with all His glorious attributes, it brings supreme delight to the creature, and it brings great…

A personal anecdote from childhood about returning a pet turtle to its natural habitat. It illustrates how the delight of the creature (the turtle returning home) brought delight to the boys, analogously showing how God delights in the creature's delight in Him.

Because He knows in so electing and predestinating, He's going to bring supreme delight to the creature, and what delights the creature delights Him. May I use an illustration that's very homey, but it's the best one I know to convey. Back when I was a kid, many, many moons ago, and it should become one more moon as of next week. No, twelve more moons.

33:48 - 34:11 Read in full sermon

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