The Praise of the Glory of God’s Grace
By Pastor Matt Black
05
March 2006
Lord's Day morning
Ephesians 1:6
Introduction: Open your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 1. Let’s read again verses 3-6. The title of this morning’s message is “The Praise of the Glory of God’s Grace.”
Ephesians 1:3-6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
I must tell you that the truth contained in our text this morning is so great, so massive, and so beyond my own human comprehension, that I have had to beg God to help me grasp it and to put my fingers around it so that I might give it to you. I pray that the Holy Spirit will take my inadequate words and make them alive in your heart and awaken your conscience to the reality of God and all that He has done for you this morning.
In our text we read that God elected us in order that He might give us all the blessings and benefits of adoption. That we, the most vile sinners on the face of God’s earth, would be the sons and daughters of the living God and have all the rights and privileges of God’s children. And what we find out in this verse, is that it is God’s purpose for our lives to incessantly praise God. That we would live lives that do nothing but praise God and that we would live lives that do nothing but draw attention to the greatness and majesty and glory of God.
Is your only desire to please God this morning? Do you want to praise God each minute today in all you do—in every action, word, thought, deed, attitude? Then throw yourself at the feet of Jesus this morning. Nothing matters but what He can do in your life. You cannot do it for yourself. He must do it. And He will do something in your life that when you realize it, you will never stop praising Him for it. “To the praise of the glory of His grace…” is what our text says. Paul says God’s grace is so amazingly glorious—it’s beyond human comprehension. It is so glorious that we will never, never, never, never stop praising God for it!! So this morning, let the praise begin. Paul says, if you want to find something to praise God about—look to His grace! So let’s do that.
I. Our praise for God increases, intensifies when we understand what God’s Grace is.
We must understand what it is that is so glorious about God’s grace. When God says “to the praise of the glory of His grace,” He is not just simply saying that God’s grace is praiseworthy. He is saying that God’s grace so perfectly reveals all that God is to the entire universe of God’s creation, that there will exist on the lips of all of the redeemed an ETERNAL praise. That is, when we fully comprehend what God has done for us—when we fully grasp His grace on that day that we see Him face to face, that we will fall down on our knees before Him, and we will begin a song of praise to Him that will never, never end. We will begin praising the Lamb, and our only delight for the rest of eternity will be praising God for His grace. We must understand the essence of grace. What is it? What brings grace on?
A. The first thing that unleashes God’s grace in our lives is the realization of our own Unworthiness. That is grace. We are shamefully dirty people compared to God’s righteous and holy character. We are unworthy to be breathing God’s air this morning. We deserve only the deepest miseries that only an omnipotent God could deliver to such wretched creatures. Words cannot describe our wretchedness in God’s sight. Only an everlasting hell can demonstrate the fierceness and violent hatred God has for those who continually defy Him.
1. In order to understand grace, we must understand our Sin.
And be not mistaken, those who continually defy Him are sitting right here in this room at this very moment. The preacher who speaks to you now defies God continually. Every attempt we have ever made to please God has fallen so laughably short of God’s glory, that to think in any way we are pleasing to Him is foolishness. We are all unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10)! We cannot even come near to God’s glory. We are not even in the same universe. Even our good works have defied God (Isaiah 64:6). If God were to judge us at this moment according to our works, even the works we have done since we have been brought into Christ, we would be shown to be horrible and dirty people. We have defied God even in our supposed righteousness. To defy God is to blaspheme Him. To sin is to say that God is not worthy of our obedience. With every sin we commit, we blaspheme heaven and the highest throne in heaven, and He who sits upon that holy throne. If you think I am speaking in hyperbole, then you do not understand sin!! In order to understand God’s grace, we must understand our sin!!!!!
John Bunyan said:
Sin is the dare of God's justice. Sin is the rape of God's mercy. It is the jeer of His patience, the sleight of His power and the contempt of His love.
2. If we are to know God’s grace, we must understand the massiveness of our Pride.
We are without hope in ourselves, and yet daily we tell ourselves that we are doing ok. We are not doing ok. We cannot keep telling ourselves “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). When Jeremiah says that our “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” he is saying that we, by nature, like to lie to ourselves (Jeremiah 17:9). Left to our selves we will most certainly sin more and more against the Beauty of God’s holiness (Psalm 29:2). And then we will lie to ourselves and say that we are ok. Our hearts become hardened and we sin more and more. Sin will increase. I’m not speaking of what men call sin. That would be only the most obvious outward sins. That is how man measures himself. I am speaking of the sinfulness that God measures. We need to see ourselves as God sees us. We need to say with David:
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me.
If we think we are something—that we don’t need God, then He says to us:
Leviticus 26:19
And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
Left to ourselves we become so proud and filled with dirty lies about how good we are. We speak peace to our soul when there is no peace. Not one of us in this room has ever done one good act. None of us has pleased God for even one moment. If you have not realized that, then you have not realized grace. Grace comes to God stripped of everything.
“Nothing in my hand I bring, Only to thy cross I cling!”
Anything God has been pleased with has been a miraculous work of grace. And that brings us to our next point.
B. If we are to understand grace, we not only see our utter unworthiness, but we must also awaken ourselves to the Worthiness of Jesus Christ. We are “accepted in the Beloved”
Anything God is pleased with is founded on the work that Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of God accomplished of His own free will and pleasure. All that is good comes from the Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Five times in Scripture, God the Father reveals His supreme pleasure. He proclaims from His throne in Heaven: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17). God is satisfied, utterly happy and content in the Person of His Son. He delights in Him.
John 3:35
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
John Calvin said “Jesus Christ is the mirror in which God beholds us when He wishes to find us acceptable to Himself.”[1]
We are accepted in the Beloved! Turn over to Colossians 1:12 and following.
1. In Christ we no longer Belong to Satan! We are delivered from Satan’s dark power!!
Colossians 1:12-13
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
2. In Christ all our sins are Forgiven! Blotted out (Acts 3:19)! They are judged! They are imputed to Jesus Christ (Psalm 32:2)!
Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Isaiah 53:6
The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
3. In Christ we have an Invincible Saviour!
Colossians 1:15 [Christ] Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Christ is a mighty Saviour!
John 10:27-28
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
4. In Christ we have a Purpose for living!
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
“Our life is hid in Christ” Colossians 3:1!
He is our all in all! Colossians 3:11!
5. In Christ is the only way we will have Acceptance with God.
Colossians 1:19-20 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself;
So Jesus Christ alone is worthy; he alone pleases God. We are accepted in Him. This pleases God. This also makes us praise God.
II. Our praise for God increases and intensifies when we understand what Praise itself is. “to the praise of the glory of His grace.”
A. Praise was Designed by God. God sovereignly chose us and predestined us to be in His family. He doesn’t need us. His grace is not dependent grace, it is sovereign grace.
You see, God cannot be profited by anything in us, but makes us profitable by His grace. The fact is, all that God created cannot benefit or add to God in any way. This is seen from the fact that God created the world out of nothing. If all that creation has and is is received from God, then how can this creation add anything to God? So God does not need our praise! But God does delight in our praise because our praise is a reflection of the work of His Son, and God delights in His Son.
B. Praise is the Delight we have in God.
God’s happiness is not bound up in us, rather our happiness is bound up in Him. There is nothing we can do to make God less happy. He is happy in Himself. His happiness does not depend on us or on anything that we do. The reason God created the world was for the manifestation of His own glory.
If God loves us, then He must give us that which is best, and that which will delight us most. When you and I get something we really enjoy, what do we do? We praise it. It might be a new child. When God gives a new child, it doesn’t matter what that little one looks like, in your eyes there’s nobody like him, and so immediately you begin to praise that child. When you get a new car, you feel there’s no other car on the road like your car. You’re convinced that it’s better in every way than the car of the man beside you. When you get a new computer, you enjoy it, you talk about it! You get new shoes or a new snowmobile, whatever it is. We praise what we enjoy, but this praise is the climax of joy itself. The praise is not tacked on later as a part of the pleasure.
C. Praise is Undying. “To the praise of the glory of His grace.” This praise will never, never end.
Revelation 5:9-13
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Look at what God has done for us!! He has chosen us! We are forgiven! We are joint-heirs with Christ!! God’s grace is so glorious that we will never, never, never, never stop praising God for it!!
III. Finally, our praise for God increases and intensifies when we understand what God’s Glory is. “To the praise of the glory of his grace”
Here in this text we see the motive behind God’s redemption. All of this is for “the praise of the glory of his grace.” It is all for the glory of God!
Christians who lived in the time of the Reformation had a Latin phrase that summarized our purpose for living: Soli Deo Gloria—God’s glory alone. That is all that matters. We have one burning and shining purpose dear brethren-that we would live to the glory of God demonstrated only in the grace of Jesus Christ. You cannot rightly glorify God in any way unless you know the grace of Christ in your own soul. God is not pleased with any one of us here this morning. God has one only in whom He is pleased—that is His beloved Son. This text tells us that we are accepted in the Beloved. God’s grace is found in Jesus, God’s Mighty Son and our Mighty Saviour—God’s grace is the only thing that we can grasp that will bring God glory through our lives!
This coming Wednesday, we will ask ourselves the question: What is the chief
end of man? That is why was man created? What is our purpose? Well, we know
that. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. But let us
ask ourselves this question this morning? What is God’s chief end? Why does
God exist? What is the impulse that drives the Almighty? What does He pursue
in all of His plans? God does not leave us to guess the answer to such
questions. Rather He answers this question at every point of redemptive
history from the creation to the consummation. Consider the following:
Why did God create us?
Isaiah 43:6-7
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 ends of the earth; 7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
The only reason for our existence is the glory of God’s great name. That’s the reason He does what He does.
Why did God choose a people for Himself?
Jeremiah 13:11
For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
God’s people, God’s church, exists for the name of God, for the praise of God, and for the glory of God. That’s the reason for our meeting this morning.
Why did God rescue His people from bondage in Egypt?
Psalm 106:7-8
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. 8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
The reason for the tremendous deliverance out of the land of bondage was for the glory of God’s name. Why did He spare them again and again in the wilderness? What a pathetic history. The children of Israel would go on for a couple of years, and then they would backslide, and then go down. Again God would come in and answer to their cries for help. God would give them a great deliverance, but in a matter of years they would go back down again into rebellion. Brethren, that story is the very story of our own lives. So we cannot look with frustration upon God’s ancient people.
Why did God spare them over and over and over again?
Ezekiel 20:14
But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
God protected His name, and that’s the reason He had mercy over and over.
Why didn’t He cast the people off when they rejected Him and asked for a king?
1 Samuel 12:22
For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
Again, it is the glory of God’s name that’s at stake. Now let’s go a little further.
Why did God use His sovereign power to bring back His people from exile after punishing them for four generations?
Isaiah 48:9, 11
For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
And one further question…
Why did the Son of God come to the earth and to His final decisive hour?
John 17:1
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
The primary reason Christ came into this world was for the glory of God’s name.
Why will Jesus come again in the great day of consummation?
2 Thessalonians 1:7
When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
A. God’s motive in creating the world is not evangelism. What is the chief end of the church? Is bringing people into our worship service the highest goal for this body? Brining people into the church is the highest goal in man-centered worship. And though it seems like a very noble goal, it must not be our highest goal. When worship is turned into an evangelistic tool, both worship and evangelism are going to suffer! Glorifying God by our worship must be the chief end of this church. It must be our highest priority. It sounds elementary, but the purpose of our corporate worship service is for the congregation to worship God. Evangelism is a very important goal, but it is secondary to the church’s great goal.
I want to read something for you from Arthur W. Pink; it’s called “Present Day Evangelism.”
God’s saving of sinners is not an end in itself for God would have been no loser had every one of them eternally perished. No, His saving of sinners is but a means unto an end—"to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph. 1:6) … Once a man makes the conversion of sinners his prime design and all-consuming end, he is exceedingly apt to adopt a wrong course. Instead of striving to preach the Truth in all its purity, he will tone it down so as to make it more palatable to the unregenerate. Impelled by a single force, moving in one fixed direction, his object is to make conversion easy, and therefore favorite passages (like John 3:16) are dwelt upon incessantly, while others are ignored or pared away.
Friends, the chief end of man is not the evangelism of the lost, but it is the glory of God, and in the glory of God, that includes the evangelism of the lost. But if we put evangelism before the glory of God and at the expense of the glory of God, you will find that we will embrace whatever method it takes to accomplish the end because the end is going to justify the means. And that’s the reason why you’ve got people coming and wanting to minister by way of stand-up comedy. Because they’ve got to get the people in.
Brethren Soli Deo Gloria is the only program we have for this church! That brings us to our final thought.
B. God’s motive in creating the world is His own glory!
Our God does what He does that He may be praised, that we may admire Him, and that we may marvel at His work. So that from the beginning to the end, the driving impulse of God’s heart is to be praised for His glory. From creation to the consummation His ultimate allegiance is to Himself. His unwavering purpose in all that He does is to honor His name and that we might marvel at His grace and power. He is infinitely jealous for His reputation. He says “I will not give my glory unto another.” God loves Himself more than He loves you.
Our joy stands and falls with the supremacy of God’s glory. Our joy comes when God is glorified.
There is no one more God-centered than God! Brethren, when we think of God’s desire to be God-centered, it is not because there is a deficiency in Him. Nor is it because He is obsessively inward. It is because there is nothing greater for us to be satisfied by than that which is His own name. And so together then, as God glorifies Himself, that is consistent with His love because it His greatest desire to give us the most, and what is the most? It is giving us Himself. And when we enjoy God, what happens? We praise Him. This is not separated from the enjoyment of God. Praise is the climax of our joy. When you are enjoying God, you have to praise Him. So when you see a person sitting in the service hardly singing, you need to begin to ask yourself, are they enjoying God? If you enjoy God, you cannot help but sing. You have to sing, because it is a part of the enjoyment that God has given. And so God is the one Being in the entire universe for Whom self-centeredness, or the pursuit of His own glory is the ultimate act of love. There is no one more God-centered than God! For Him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. And when He does things, He does things for the praise of His glory. He preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in the entire universe which can satisfy our longings.
Conclusion: The message preached from our pulpits today is an indication of our grave problem. Many believe God exists for no other purpose than to satisfy human ambitions. Many people believe that God exists only to the satisfaction of our cravings. Some people think that God’s chief purpose is to grant us the appetite we have for consumption or for our own private spiritual interests. God is preached as being the ultimate source for the satisfaction of our personal needs. The problem is many people no longer have a God-centered theology, but it is a man-centered theology. It’s all about me when it is supposed to be all about God. Brethren, the natural theological position of fallen man is man-centered. Brethren let us reject this world, forsake all and follow Christ! We are accepted in the Beloved—that’s all that matters! Let’s live that way—to the praise of the glory of his grace!
Closing Hymn: 20 Praise Him, Praise Him