The Messenger 15
Introduction
RS Wallace in his article on praise writes: “The whole of the Bible is punctuated with outbursts of praise. They rise spontaneously from the ‘basic mood’ of joy which marks the life of the people of God.”
In the psalms we are frequently exhorted to praise God.
“Praise God for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness (Ps 100:2)
Here we are to praise God FOR… for his acts of power; for his surpassing greatness.
In Eph 1 we have looked at a number of the treasures that God has given to all those who are in union with Christ. The more we reflect on those treasures the more we can understand why the basic ‘mood of joy’ ought to mark our life in this world. We have so much for which to praise God. Just think of some of the things we have looked at thus far for which we can praise our God.
We can praise God for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for choosing us in Christ, for loving us, for adopting us, for lavishing his grace upon us, for redeeming us through the blood of Christ, for forgiving us. Whatever our circumstances, whatever our feelings, we have every reason for which to praise God. Today we identify yet another treasure of salvation and yet another reason for which to praise God.
Salvation: An all-encompassing plan
Within the treasure-chest of salvation there lies a fascinating treasure. To discover what that treasure is and how it impacts our life as one who is ‘in Christ’, we turn to verses 9 and 10.
“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment – to bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head, even Christ.”
Keep in mind that at the time of this letter being written Paul was in chains in a Roman prison. If anyone had a reason to feel abandoned by God after all he had done in the name of the Gospel it was Paul. Yet despite all his discomforts and physical restrictions of imprisonment, Paul’s mind and spirit remained gloriously untrammelled by self-pity and disappointment. His secret? Paul had been given a glimpse of the mystery of God’s ultimate purpose of salvation. He saw the goal and it was glorious beyond human imagination.
In his sharing of that mystery we are given an insight into something that not even the greatest of the Old Testament prophets would have seen. Think of it – you and I, irrespective of what we were before coming to Christ, are given a glimpse of eternity and of the ultimate plan of salvation
“There is nothing higher than this, nothing beyond God’s final purpose” writes Dr DM Lloyd-Jones. “It is bigger and greater than our personal salvation. In this verse we are transported above the matter of our personal salvation into the realm of the ultimate things – God’s grand, comprehensive, final, ultimate purpose.”
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” Rev. 21:3-4
Let me remind you of something we touched on right at the beginning of this study of Ephesians:
In Ephesians Jesus is conceived not solely or mainly as the saviour of each individual soul but rather as ‘gathering up’ all humanity in Himself. (Dr Ellicott).
While the message of salvation in Ephesians never overlooks the individual, its emphasis in verses 9 and 10 has shifted to the magnificent, broad sweep of God’s eternal plan. In the end God gathers the Church, now struggling in its divisions and compromises, He gathers all creation with its ‘alien and discordant elements’ (Lightfoot) and brings it all into harmony with heaven itself. (cf. 2 Peter 3).
Some of us may be going through difficult times right now. Difficult times at work, at home, in the church, in our relationships, in temptations, in our health, in our finances. Sometimes we might wonder whether the struggle is worth it. Everything appears so confused and uncertain, doesn’t it? And when we look at the tragedy of human suffering in this world we just cannot make any sense of life. There doesn’t seem to be any real purpose to it.
But whatever we may be going through there is an encouraging message coming out of verses 9 and 10 for all of us. As God makes known to us the mystery of His will He wants us to look up, not down. He is urging us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we run this race that is before us. He has a plan and it will not fail. You may think your struggles are meaningless. You may not be able to see any point to your life right now. But there is. God is working in you and through you to bring His plan to fulfilment. In His time all who are in Christ will see the glorious outworking of that plan.
You may have heard the story of three men who were working on a stone pile at a construction site. A curious passerby was eager to discover what was going on. He asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” “Chiselling stone,” was the reply. Trying for a better answer, he asked the second worker, “What are you doing?” “Earning a living.” Another washout. He had one more hope. He asked the third worker, “Sir, what are you doing?” He dropped his sledgehammer, stood erect, and with a gleam in his eye exclaimed, “I’m building a great cathedral!” All three men were doing the same job but only one of them saw how his role fitted into a larger, more important vision.
In revealing to us the mystery of His ultimate will and purpose, God is encouraging us to keep faith and hope alive in the midst of all of life’s present struggles. God will have the final word, and in the end we will see how our life fits into His glorious and eternal plan. So run the race that is set before you keeping your eyes on Jesus.
If you have a question or a comment about this series please feel free to write to me, Brian, at
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