Unto Himself

Introduction: The Hymn of Praise and God the Father's Specific Blessings

0:02 Again this morning to our studies in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, the book of Ephesians chapter 1.

0:14 And I shall read the segment of the first paragraph, which has been the focus of our attention for several weeks now. Ephesians 1, verses 3 through 6. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

0:47 Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blemish before him. In love having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. Unto himself according to the good pleasure of his will.

1:09 To the praise. To the praise of the glory of his grace. Which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. As we have noted from week to week in our study of this part of the first paragraph.

1:26 Which is bounded by verses 3 through 14. That this is a hymn of praise to God. God the Father. God the Son.

1:36 And God the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul desired. To write to the church at Ephesus. And the churches in the same area where the Ephesian church was established.

1:49 As his mind thought upon and meditated long upon the great salvation which had come to the Ephesians. He cannot pick up his pen and write with the cold logic of the theologian.

2:06 But rather his heart becomes so inflamed with the magnitude. And with the beauty of God's salvation. That though he picks up his pen as a theologian. He picks it up as a saint and a poet.

2:22 Spirit just fairly burst with this great ascription of praise unto God. And so the delineation. The drawing out of the details of our great salvation. Come to us couched in the context of a eulogy.

2:39 This speaking well enough. Of God. Blessed be God. And his focus in these first few verses of the paragraph.

2:49 Is particularly upon the Father. And he's blessing the Father. For the general blessing. Verse 3.

2:59 He hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And then in verses 4 and 5. He comes to the specific blessings. Which are.

3:12 Which are in a peculiar sense blessings of the Father. Verse 4 gives us the first of those specific blessings. Election in Christ. Out of that general statement of every spiritual blessing in Christ.

3:28 He takes first of all the blessing of election in Christ. Unto holiness. And then in verse 5. He takes the parallel blessing.

3:39 Which is foreordination or predestination. Unto adoption as sons. And these must be viewed as parallel blessings. Which are in a special sense attributed to God the Father.

Revisiting Foreordination: Climate, Objects, Goal, and Meritorious Cause

3:55 He chose us. He foreordained us. And now this morning we focus again upon verse 5. For having spent several weeks in verse 4.

4:06 And drawing out the various lines of thought. We come to our second study in verse 5. In which we have before us this matter of God's foreordination or predestination. Which basically means to mark out beforehand.

4:26 And the word has the connotation of the sovereign activity of God. The certainty of his activity. And also the eternity of his activity. For it is foreordination.

4:39 It is predestination. It is that which God does in marking out people unto blessings. And he does it before the foundation of the world. To use the terminology of verse 4.

4:55 Now in our previous study. And I shall only give you the main heads. And move into the core of our study for this morning. We saw that the climate of predestination is divine love.

5:06 It is in love that he foreordained us. So the mention of the word. Predestination and foreordination. Should never be a foreboding thing to the people of God.

5:18 For the climate in which foreordination took place. Was the climate of divine love. So there is no contradiction between divine sovereignty and divine love. Wrench divine sovereignty from divine love.

5:36 And you have the cold steely fate of the Muslim.

5:42 Wrench divine. Divine love from the context of divine sovereignty. And you have the unprincipled sentimentality of modern evangelicalism. But bring foreordination and predestination.

5:57 Into the climate of divine love. And you have biblical Christianity. In love he foreordained us. Then we looked at the objects of foreordination.

6:11 Having foreordained us. Having foreordained us. Particular people. Those believers.

6:17 Along with the apostle Paul. Who had been effectually called. Then we looked at the immediate goal of foreordination. Or predestination.

6:26 Adoption as sons. He foreordained us. Unto adoption as sons. That is to be placed in the position of sons.

6:39 The shorter catechism asks the question. What is adoption? And its answer is very biblical. And I give it to you.

6:46 Adoption is an act of God's free grace. Whereby we are received into the number. And have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Adoption is a legal transaction on the part of God the Father.

7:04 As justification is a legal transaction. So adoption is a legal transaction. Adoption is a legal transaction. Differing from justification.

7:14 But never separated from it. For all whom God declares righteous for the sake of his son. He also adopts into his family. And always gives them the spirit of the family.

7:30 He gives them the spirit of adoption. Which stamps upon them the family likeness. So that they not only cry Abba Father. But they begin to look like the sons of God.

7:42 And are led by. That spirit of adoption. So the climate of predestination. Divine love.

7:50 The objects of predestination. Believers. The immediate goal of predestination. Adoption as sons.

7:58 And then the meritorious cause. Of predestination. Through Jesus Christ. It is what Christ is.

8:10 And what Christ has done. Which forms the basis. Upon the spirit of adoption. On which God can adopt into his family.

8:18 Guilty. Hell deserving sinners. Such as you are. And such as I am.

The Personal End of Predestination: 'Unto Himself'

8:25 By nature. Now we come this morning. To what I am going to call. The personal end.

8:33 Of predestination. And it is found in these two little words. Having foreordained us. Unto adoption as sons.

8:42 Through Jesus Christ. Unto himself.

8:50 Unto himself.

8:54 This is the personal end of predestination. And I say it reverently. The satisfaction. Of God's own heart.

9:09 This God who in the climate of love. Set apart and marked out believers. Unto this great privilege. Of adoption.

9:20 Through the merits of Jesus Christ. Did so. For the satisfaction. Of his own.

9:30 Fatherly heart. For he predestined us. Unto adoption of sons. Through Jesus Christ.

9:38 Unto. Himself. I confessed to you. Two weeks ago.

9:45 That I just felt I couldn't preach on the. Text. I still don't know if I can preach on it. I feel like we're standing at the foot of a holy mount.

9:56 And I don't know if I can take you by the hand and climb it with you. But perhaps we can at least walk around it this morning. And stand amazed at something of the glory that breaks from this mountain peak of biblical revelation. That the intimate and personal goal of predestination.

10:15 The reason why God marked out a people. That he would adopt into his family. For whom he sent his son. And to whom he sends his spirit.

10:26 Is that through that people. His own heart. Might be satisfied.

What God Enjoyed in Man at Creation: Similarity and Intimacy

10:35 In order to think our way through the text. And at least march around the mountain. Of glory that surrounds it. Consider with me in the first place.

10:45 What God enjoyed in man at creation. Secondly. What God loved. Lost from man in the fall.

10:55 And thirdly. What God regains from man in redemption. And I submit to you. That unless we think along these lines biblically.

11:06 We will not understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said. Adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself. First of all then. What God enjoyed.

11:22 In man at creation. And we're so man centered. Even those words sound funny on our ears. Don't they?

11:29 If we talk about what man enjoyed in creation. Why we're in familiar stomping ground. But to wrench ourselves loose. From that man centered pattern of thought.

11:41 And to think. What did God have. In man at creation. Is most difficult for us.

11:48 But I suggest until we think that way. We're not thinking biblically. And we'll never begin to penetrate the meaning of the apostle's words. As man came from the hand of God.

12:01 There were two outstanding factors.

12:07 In this God and man relationship. I'll give them to you. Then we'll look at them in Genesis 1 and 2. And see how they relate to our study this morning.

12:18 There was first of all. Similarity of character. Which led to. And formed.

12:24 The basis of. Intimacy of communion.

12:30 When God made man. There was similarity of character. Between God and man. Which led to.

12:40 And formed the basis of. Intimacy of communion. Similarity of character. Intimacy of communion.

12:48 Now where do I get these words from. Or these concepts. Well from the first chapter of Genesis. Particularly.

12:56 You will notice in Genesis 1 and verse 26. The following.

13:02 And God said. Let us make man. In. Our.

13:11 Image.

13:14 Let us make man in our image. With a similarity of character. To that which is found. In the Godhead.

13:24 And after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea. And the birds of the heavens. And over the cattle.

13:33 And over all the earth. And over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him.

13:45 Male and female created he them. Now whatever is involved in this matter of the image of God. It's obvious that it's important. Because if you youngsters wrote a composition in your English class.

13:59 In which you use the same. Phrase so many times. In so short a period of time. Your teacher would take a red pencil.

14:07 And write over it redundant. Which means you'd use the same phrase too often. Find another one. But the Holy Ghost isn't bound by our.

14:16 Concepts of what is good communication. And he often. Gets the point across. By repetition.

14:23 In a short compass. Let us make man in our image. So God made man in his image. In the image of God.

14:31 Three times in this short period of verses.

14:36 And whatever is involved in that. It certainly includes. That man was made with an understanding that was clear. There was no error in his mind.

14:47 Though his mind was not equal to the mind of God. In the extent of its knowledge. His mind was like God's. In that there was no error in that mind.

14:59 It was a mind that was full of truth.

15:03 Secondly. It involved a will that was set to do the will of God. There was no rebellion. It was not a sovereign will like God's will.

15:12 But it was a will that was bent only in the direction. Of doing what was well pleasing in God's sight. So God gives directions to that will. He says have dominion.

15:24 Over the beast and over the fowl of the air etc. He says multiply and replenish the earth. Dress the garden. Keep it.

15:32 Adam's will is set. In the direction of the will of God. And now God gives it directives. In order to guide it.

15:40 Man made in the image of God. Had a similarity of character. An understanding in which there was no error. A will that was set only to do that which was good.

15:51 And he had affections that were all properly regulated. There was no inordinate affection to any thing. Or any creature. The scripture says in the book of Ecclesiastes.

16:03 That God. God made man upright. Now on the basis of that similarity of character. God entered into intimacy of communion with the creature.

16:18 The whole mood of Genesis 1 and 2. And we don't have time to read it all this morning. Is the mood and climate in which God who made the creature. Enters into the most intimate and personal involvement.

16:34 With that creature. You never get the idea. As you read Genesis 1 and 2. That there is this sense of an austere and distant creator.

16:44 Before whom the creature cringes in some kind of legal fear and dread and bondage. No, no. There is every suggestion. That as there was this similarity of character.

16:59 Forming the basis of a relationship between God and the creature. There was intimacy of communion. When God comes to talk to the man. The man listens.

17:10 Man receives the directive. Man submits. And man joyfully obeys the directives that God gave to him. And so we may say in a very real sense.

17:24 Adam knew all the freedom and intimacy of a son of God. In fact Adam. Is called the son of God. In the genealogy in Luke 3 and verse 38.

17:42 He is called the son of God. Not just the creature of God. But the son of God. And God entered in.

17:51 To that intimate filial family relationship. Of the father and his son. Hence all mankind is called the offspring of God. In Acts 17 29.

18:06 And in our overreaction against the liberal lie. That all men are the sons of God. In the sense that they are adopted into his family. And will go to heaven in the end.

18:16 Whether they repent and believe the gospel or not. We have lost something of this biblical concept. Of the universal fatherhood of God. Human beings are his peculiar creatures.

18:29 Who in the original creation. Knew the intimacy. Of the fellowship of sons. Done with father.

18:39 Now before you write me off as a heretic. Stick with me please.

18:44 Without falling into that God dishonoring idea.

18:50 That God is the father of all men. In that redemptive sense. Yet there was something in man. Which brought great delight and joy to God.

19:01 Before sin entered. We must not ever entertain the idea. That God was lonely. And so he created man.

19:08 So that he would. Fill up his loneliness. No we must steer clear of that. And yet God received something from man.

19:16 The creature that he did not receive. From anything else. That he had made. And so God had in creation.

19:26 The delight of this intimate communion with the creature. Which not only meant perfect bliss for the creature. But meant bliss to his own heart. Intimacy of communion.

19:38 Communion based upon similarity of character. And that's what man was made for. That as he maintained that likeness. That image of God.

19:49 He would have gone on to more and more. Understanding of. And entered into greater experiences of. The fellowship of God.

What God Lost from Man in the Fall: Ruptured Communion and Grief

20:02 His father. Now the second thing I want you to consider with me. Is what God lost.

20:10 From man. When man fell. And when you turn to Genesis 3. And all of this forms the backdrop.

20:19 Of coming to grips with the concept of Ephesians 1.5. I've not forgotten the text. I'm not rambling.

20:26 I'm seeking to construct a biblical framework. Within which we can lay hold. Of those precious words. Unto himself.

20:35 Alright we've seen what God had. In the creature. In creation. Now.

20:41 What God lost. From man in the fall. Look at the first description in Genesis 3. After they sinned.

20:50 Verses 7 and 8. The eyes of them both were opened. And they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together.

21:01 And made themselves aprons.

21:04 Now one of the saddest verses in all of Holy Scripture. And they heard. The voice. Or the sound.

21:15 Of. The Lord God. Walking in the garden. In the cool of the day.

21:24 Now we could read an awful lot of things. Between the lines. And we dare not. Become dogmatic.

21:29 Where scripture is silent. But it would seem that. It was God's practice. To come in visible form.

21:39 And hold intimate communion. With his creatures. And now. When they hear the voice.

21:46 Or the sound of the Lord God. Walking in the garden. In the cool of the day.

21:53 The man and his wife. Hid themselves. From the presence of the Lord God.

22:04 Made with similarity of character. That form the basis. Of the most intimate communion. The first effect of sin is.

22:15 That they volitionally. Deliberately. Deliberately. With calculated effort.

22:21 Cut themselves loose. From any semblance. Of intimacy of communion. They run.

22:27 From the presence. Of this God. Do you catch something of the horror of it? The son and daughter of God.

22:37 Who having shared in that similarity of character. And on that basis having known. Intimacy of communion. Running from God.

22:48 Their father. Before sin entered. The first sounds of his footsteps. Caused their hearts to leap within them.

22:59 And they would run to commune with him.

23:03 Now at the first sound of his footsteps. They run. To flee from him.

23:11 Now casting aside for a moment. What this meant to Adam and Eve. Can you imagine what it meant to God.

23:19 As a father.

23:24 As some of you know. I'm away from home. Quite frequently. Two or three days at a time.

23:31 In these various conferences. Sometimes as in this recent ministry. Nine or ten days. And one of the greatest delights for me as a father.

23:41 Is that when I turn the key. And come through the door. And just say I'm here.

23:48 To hear all the footsteps. As mama and the three kids converge. Upon day. Everything in my father heart.

23:59 Yearns for that moment. When they hear. The sound of daddy's coming. To see that response of desire.

24:08 To enter in. To the intimate communion. Exclusively known. To the father.

24:17 And his children. Can you imagine what it would mean to me. If when I came through the door. On Thursday night.

24:27 And had announced that I was home. That suddenly I heard a scurrying. And all the children were not to be seen. And when I went to seek them out.

24:38 They just weren't playing games on me. But they stood cringing behind the drapes.

24:44 With bread in their eyes.

24:48 Can you imagine what it would do to me. As a father if I said. Joel. Heidi.

24:52 Beth. And there was no answer. And I found them. Hiding under the beds.

24:58 Not with a smile and giggling. And saying surprise daddy. But shivering with horror. And when my eyes met theirs.

25:06 Instead of them coming out. And throwing open their arms. They just pushed themselves. More closely.

25:12 Into the dark shades of the corner. Of their bedrooms. Can you imagine what that would do to me. As a father.

25:22 Imagine what it meant to the heart of God. It was the creature that he made in his image. Adam and Eve. The offspring of God.

25:33 When the basis of that similarity of character. Knew the most intimate of communion. And now he comes. And they hear his footsteps.

25:44 And instead of running to meet them. When he finds them. He finds. Them shivering and cringing.

25:51 Behind a bush. With the fig leaves of their own. Desire.

26:00 Can you feel something of what God felt.

26:04 That's what God lost. From man in the fall. He lost. That intimate communion.

26:12 And then as you turn to the scriptures. And you see that initial description. Unfolding. It opens up like a stream.

26:21 Until the whole human race. Has reached such a state. That God says. And I want you to notice carefully.

26:29 In Genesis chapter 6. Verses 5 and 6. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man. Was great in the earth.

26:39 And that every imagination. Of the thoughts of his heart. Was only evil continually. No longer is there similarity of character.

26:49 Here the creature he had made. In his likeness. No error in the mind. No perverseness in the will.

26:57 No uncleanness in the affections. Now that which he made in his image. Is marred until. Out of the springs of man's being.

27:08 Comes nothing but evil continually. And because there is no similarity of character. There can be no intimacy of communion. And yet.

27:18 And yet. In all of this. God never forgets that they were his creatures. For notice what it says.

27:25 It repented the Lord. That he had made. Man in the earth. And it.

27:37 In him. At his heart.

27:45 Though God must bring judgment. May I suggest. That we must never look upon the flood. As the pure activity of a righteous judge.

27:54 We must look upon it as the activity.

27:58 Of a grieved father.

28:01 The creature. Has chosen a course. That makes it impossible. For a holy God.

28:08 To hold intimate communion with him. And yet it pains. God. At his heart.

28:16 What we see in the first description in Genesis 3. In the further unfolding here. We find unfolded in its summary. Until you have a statement like Romans 3.

28:28 10 to 12. There is none righteous. No not one. There is none that understandeth.

28:35 There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. Now what's the next phrase? They are together.

28:43 They have become unprofitable. Unprofitable for what? They still can do an awful lot of things. They can make rockets.

28:55 And send men to the moon. They can heal diseases. They can build skyscrapers. What does the scripture mean?

29:05 All of mankind unprofitable. I believe I think this is part of the answer. They are no longer profitable for the very thing. For which they were made.

29:15 To bring delight to the heart of God. In the intimate communion based upon similarity of character. Man's no longer bringing profit to God. God made man that he might have this communion.

29:32 They have turned aside. They are no longer profitable. Profitable for what? For the very thing for which they were made.

29:42 So when it comes time for God to reckon with men. Who go on in that course. What are the words of final pronouncement in the day of judgment? What are the words of final pronouncement in the day of judgment?

29:50 And I think they are tremendously significant in this context. Listen to the words of Jesus. Then will he say unto them on his left hand. Then will he say unto them on his left hand.

29:59 Depart from me Depart from me Into everlasting fire. Into everlasting fire. I think I understand the significance of those words now more than I ever did. Depart from me.

30:19 You have resisted all the overtures You have resisted all the overtures of that message and of those mighty influences, which could restore my likeness, which could once again create my image in you, so that again we might have intimate communion. I sent my Son, I sent my Word, I sent my Spirit, and what for? That you might be recreated in my image, that being recreated I might have fellowship with you, that you might give to me the delight of my heart in intimate communion. All right, you've resisted those overtures,

31:02 you've determined you'll have nothing to do with being restored to my image, then depart from me!

31:12 No basis upon which I can commune with you. You've turned your back upon the only way whereby there might be restored likeness and hence restored communion. So the Father, final pronouncement is depart from me. Now it's in that state that mankind lies.

What God Regains in Redemption: Sons for His Delight

31:36 No knowledge of what he was made for. I venture to say I'm talking to people this morning who never once thought for 30 seconds upon this question. What was I made to give God?

31:56 Have you ever thought upon that? Preacher of God, living by the good things of God. But have I ever asked the question, what was I made to give God? Man doesn't think that way.

32:17 No knowledge that he was made to give God the delight of the intimate communion of a son who has the likeness of his character. Worse than that, man has no desire to render delight to God. And triply worse, he has no ability to do anything about that situation.

32:40 Will God be defeated?

32:44 He made the man in his image similar to God. He made the man in his image similar to God. He made the man in his image similar to God. He made the man in his image similar to God.

32:47 He made the man in his image similar to God. He made the man in his image similar to God. It's the entirety of character that he might have intimacy of communion. That's what he made and that's what he had in creation.

32:55 But sin has come and created the great sievery. It's robbed God of that. But will sin have the last word? No.

33:03 What does our text say? Having predestinated us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ

33:17 unto him.

33:20 And that brings, us to our third point this morning. What does God regain in redemption? Why, what He regains is sons to Himself. He shall have sons and daughters who bear the family likeness and with whom He can have intimate and delightful communion. For all whom He adopts through

33:51 Jesus Christ receive the spirit of adoption. And what is the outstanding characteristic of the spirit of adoption? Galatians 4, 6. You know the verse, don't you? Because ye

34:04 are sons, He hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth the spirit of His Son

34:26 into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth

34:29 the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes an Aramaic word, the most intimate term of endearment, Abba, Daddy. And I have sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts. And then Paul takes

34:33 That word means nothing less than what my kids say when I come to the door and they say, Mommy! Daddy's home! And they come running into my arms. And the spirit of adoption in our hearts causes us to cry out the Father in communion based upon restored fellowship and the renewing of the image of God in us.

35:06 We often think of the great privilege we have as we come into the status of sons. But all Christians this morning think of what God regains in redemption.

35:21 Of the delight of His heart, of having His creatures who reflect His likeness, having intimate communion with Him to their own delight, but to His own. But God says sin will not have the last word. And so He marked out in innumerable company which no man can number, for whom He sent His Son, and on whose behalf the Son died and rose and now sends forth the Spirit that being brought into the orbit of the power of redemptive grace, they may say, Abba, Father, to the delight of the Father's heart. Notice how this thought is brought up.

36:03 This thought is brought out in several texts of Scripture. A couple in the Old Testament, Isaiah 50, I'm sorry, Isaiah 43,

36:13 and verses 5 to 7.

36:19 We might call this a declaration of God's jealousy to have a family.

36:25 Fear not, Isaiah 43, 5 to 7, for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up, and to the south keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one that is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made.

37:00 Here God is jealous to have His people brought unto Himself. Look at the picture in Zephaniah 3 and verse 7. That book that we often forget is even found in Holy Scripture. Listen to the tremendous concept here.

37:20 Zephaniah 3, 17, The Lord thy God in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save. And what will be the result of His saving? Notice the God-centered perspective. He will rejoice over thee with joy.

37:37 He will rest.

37:43 His love. He will joy over thee with singing.

37:51 Now do you see why I said I can only stand at the mountain and walk around it? How can we fathom this? Almighty God, so happy with what He gets in redemption that He breaks into songs. You say, Father, what are you singing about?

38:09 He said, I'm singing about my children.

38:14 I'm singing about my children.

38:17 And He rejoices over us with singing. Notice this. Not in 2 Corinthians chapter 6.

38:29 In the context of giving the exhortation to a life of separation unto God,

38:38 the Apostle quotes from the Old Testament, Hosea 1, 10, and Isaiah 43, 6, one of the passages to which I referred. And notice how these two things are paralleled in verse 17. 2 Corinthians 6, 17. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be to you a father.

39:05 That's what I get. And that's where we usually stop. Notice the next phrase. And ye shall be to me.

39:14 That is, ye shall be with reference to the delight of my heart. Ye shall be two sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

39:31 Now it's, because he's purposed such blessing for sinners that Paul had to put these words in Ephesians 1, 5. Having predestinated us unto adoption as sons by Jesus Christ unto himself.

39:49 But to catch the weight of his thought, we must read it. Predestinated us unto adoption of sons unto himself. That's his purpose. But since we were laden with guilt and bound by our sin, there was the necessity of the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ.

40:10 And so the Lord Jesus came forth not to alter the overall perspective and goal of God in redemption, to have sons and daughters to himself, but to make it possible. Now perhaps these texts mean a little more in that light. 1 Peter 3.18 Who gave himself for us the just, for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

40:43 Not just bring God to us.

40:47 Well, why would he come to bring us to God unless God wanted us?

40:56 You say, well, I don't understand. I don't either, dear. That's why I say we can only walk around the mountain.

41:01 We can only walk around it. Can't climb it. Can't fathom it.

41:07 John 14.6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to, the Father, but by me. But implicit in that is that coming by him we come unto whom?

41:21 Not God, the judge who acquits us, though that's true. Not the creator who made us, though that's true, but to the Father. No man cometh to the Father to know him as Father and to bring delight to his fatherly heart except he come through the mediation of Christ. So in conclusion, we are warranted to say as certainly as God is the originator of redemption, he predestined us, so he is the end and the goal of that redemption.

God as Originator and Goal: Restoring Character and Communion

42:00 He predestinated us unto adoption of sons unto himself. He is the originator. He is the goal so that Romans 11.36 is stamped on the face of Ephesians 1.5

42:16 for of him and through him and unto him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Now will you notice something in the parallel between verses 4 and 5? What does election have as its focus of immediate goal? Notice, he chose us in him that we should be holy and without blessing.

42:47 In other words, election focuses upon restoring similarity of character. We are elect unto holiness. God says, I'll make their character such that I can once again do what? Enter into intimacy of communion having predestinated us unto adoption of sons.

43:09 So those two strands of thought in the original creation, God stamped his likeness upon the creature upon the creature that he might enter into communion with the creature. Now in the new creation by sovereign grace through the mediation of Christ he says, I'll re-stamp my image upon their character to the end that I might enter into communion with them. And so these parallel blessings are attributed to the Father elect in Christ unto holiness predestinated unto adoption as sons to himself. And when it's all completed and the role of God's elect

43:54 is filled up and they're all brought home, notice the final description of the redeemed in Revelation 21.7. Revelation 21.7 He that overcometh shall inherit these things.

44:24 And he's been speaking of all the blessings. God shall be with his people and God himself shall be with them and be with them. And he shall be their God and everything God's going to do and he shall wipe away their tears and death shall be no more, no mourning, crying, pain, all of these things, the blessings that will come to us. Now notice the focus of this text.

44:46 He that overcometh shall inherit these things and I will be his God, yes. But I'm going to get something in all of this. He shall be my son.

44:59 And I believe that inherent in that concept I will be his God. He shall be, my son is that which we as fathers feel but faintly that sense of delight in the possession of our offspring and what they give to us. He says, I shall have sons and daughters who never break my heart anymore, who never have anything about them that is unlike me,

45:29 who because they are confirmed in this perfection of their character,

45:36 I will be able to hold the most intimate communion with them never to have it ruptured again through all eternity. May I suggest that this is the perspective of several other passages and you can trace it out at your own leisure. It might make profitable meditation for the afternoon. In Ephesians 5 where it speaks of our Lord as the heavenly bridegroom, it says he gave himself for the church to what end?

46:05 That he might present that church himself.

46:14 What is a bridegroom without his bride? He says, I'm half a man until I have her.

46:23 The scripture says, our Lord thirsts for his bride.

46:30 We give him the delight of the bridegroom who receives his bride. You say, I know, I feel exactly as you do even saying it. It sounds strange in my ear but here it is. Paul said the same thing in 2 Corinthians 11.

46:49 He said, I'm jealous over you. Because I've espoused you as a pure virgin.

46:58 You're something that the Father is giving unto him.

47:05 And I say it reverently in that sense he's incomplete without us.

Pastoral Applications: Cease Hard Thoughts, Walk in Holiness, Adore God

47:15 Oh dear child of God, do you see the evil of harboring hard thoughts about your father?

47:24 He predestined you unto adoption as sons to himself and it grieves him when you hear his voice and he finds you hiding under the bed. Shivering.

47:42 Now don't you think it's time to stop thinking those hard thoughts about God and grieving his fatherly heart by those hard thoughts about him? He's not. What's he done to deserve that? First question I'd ask if I saw the kid shivering under the bed is what did daddy do to make you treat him like that?

48:05 God comes and says, my child, what have I done to make you harbor such hard thoughts about me?

48:13 But you see, when I've seen him, oh yes, that's another thing and that brings me to my second exhortation to you as the people of God. Do you see the evil of failing to walk in holiness so that there might be that intimacy of communion? You see what happens when you grieve the spirit of adoption? You rob God of that which he desires in your redemption.

48:39 Intimacy of communion and fellowship with him.

48:44 Maybe there's a sense in which you can afford the luxury of communion of a nagging conscience and of broken fellowship with my friend.

48:53 What about God?

48:57 What about God? Did he send his son and cast over you the mantle of all those redemptive privileges only to have you lightly treat them and abuse them? Oh, may God help us to realize that every time we sin we not only bring grief to us but worse than this, we grieve his fatherly heart and to that extent we rob him of that for which all of redemption is about, namely unto himself. And then do you see the evil of not adoring him and entering into Ephesians 1 as Paul did?

49:39 Blessed be this God who predestined us unto adoption as sons to himself. What in the world did he see in you and me that would make us his treasure?

Exhortation to Unbelievers: Repent and Believe for Restoration

49:58 And I would close with a word to you who are strangers to God's grace. Listen to me carefully this morning, young person, adult.

50:07 You're a creature of God. You were made to bring delight to him as your character would be such that he could enter into intimate communion with you. But you, in Adam and with the human race,

50:23 you've gone astray from him. Your heart is a veritable cauldron of uncleanness and sin and vileness and pollution and pride and lust and indifference to God. He cannot hold communion with the likes of you in that state.

50:43 But in his dear son he comes to you and says, Ho, ho, sinner, creature of mine, made in my image in whom that image has been marred and defaced. In my son there is power to restore that image. In my son there is grace to forgive the sin and blot out the guilt and restore my image that you might once again hold communion with me. And that's why God comes to you in the gospel saying, Repent and believe the gospel.

51:17 Turn from that life in which you are indifferent to the very goal for which you were made to bring delight to God's heart.

51:27 Cast yourself upon the only one by whom you can come back into the place where you fulfill the purpose of your creation. But you say, suppose I don't feel like it. Then, my friend, you see, God will be forced to put you in the junk heap of humanity. You know what the junk heap of humanity is?

51:50 That's hell.

51:52 That's where God discards the creatures that said, We'll not give him what he made us to give him.

52:03 We'll not give him worship, love, adoration and all that is his rightful due. And so I plead with you, you who are not the sons of God by adoption, to remember that adoption comes by the spirit of adoption. A man discovers his adoption by the spirit of adoption and he can't have the spirit of adoption until he embraces him whom God has set forth as a Savior and a Lord, even Jesus. And I plead with you today.

52:40 I entreat you. I command you in Christ's name repent and believe the gospel.

52:49 Blessed be God who hath foreordained us unto adoption his sons by Jesus Christ unto himself. That's the personal goal of predestinating grace unto himself. May God help us to understand something of the mystery of it and then break forth with the apostle in praise and in adoration to him. And may we count everything our bitterest enemy that would intrude upon our rendering to God that for which he gave his son.

53:35 Nothing is innocent.

53:38 Nothing is innocent.

53:43 Innocent.

53:47 That keeps you and keeps me from giving to God that which he desires in this redemptive relationship. And all that draws off our affection in our spiritual energies and dulls us to the reality of the intimate father-son relation is wickedness to the high degree.

54:19 Even though it may be smiled upon his virtue by professing Christians. May God help us to deal mercilessly with anything and everything that robs him of the unfettered life.

54:41 Open-faced communion of his sons and of his daughters. Let us pray.