Trinity Sunday

SERMON - Let Us Join Paul in Praising God!

INI

Text: Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

In Christ Jesus, God’s beloved Son and our blessed Savior, dear fellow redeemed:

This past week President Obama visited the Middle East. While he was in Egypt he broadcast a speech addressed to the Islamic world from Cairo University. In that speech he spoke of Allah as “God” and quoted from what he called the “holy” Koran. It would have been easy for anyone listening to that speech to draw the very common but erroneous conclusion that there really is only one God, whom people of various religions identify by different names. There is only one God, whom the Bible identifies as the Holy Trinity. The Bible also states very clearly and unequivocally that all other gods are not gods at all, but idols—the products of men’s minds.

On this Trinity Sunday we want to emphasize with as much clarity as possible this fact that the one, true God is the Triune God! While we must admit that we cannot understand the Trinity, for the ultimate nature of our God lies beyond our human comprehension, the Bible states that He is One (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4), and yet reveals Himself as three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 28:19). It further reveals the specific work of each member of the Trinity and how that work relates directly to our lives both in this world and in the world to come.

The apostle Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians with a Trinitarian hymn of praise. In it he speaks of the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let us examine that hymn of praise in detail this morning. Yes, LET US JOIN PAUL IN PRAISING GOD—God the Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ; God the Son who has redeemed us through His blood; and God the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until the day of our final redemption!

I.

Paul writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Paul’s initial statement is breathtaking—God the Father has “blessed us with every (not some, but “every”) spiritual blessing!” This He has done, Paul says, in connection with “Christ.” Paul was in Rome enduring his fourth year of imprisonment on false charges awaiting trial and possible execution and, yet, he is able to praise God for all of the spiritual blessings he enjoys! Notice, and this is important, that Paul’s attitude was not determined by his external environment or circumstances, but rather by the relationship God established with him through Christ. That blessing empowered and invigorated him, as it indeed can and should us all!

Let us look at Paul’s words more closely. He describes the spiritual blessing we receive from God the Father in this way: “He chose us in Him (that is, in Jesus) before the foundation of the world.” God’s love for us goes way back—far beyond our conversion, our birth, or even our conception. It goes back into eternity when God chose us in Christ. Why did He choose us? Paul explains: “That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” We all have a problem with sin! It stands as an insurmountable barrier for us—between us and God, but already in eternity God chose to overcome that barrier. This He did through Christ. Christ removes our sins and He bestows upon us His righteousness, so that we can stand before God as His chosen, holy ones. We need not fear, but can indeed address Him as our heavenly Father. Why? Because, Paul says, God has “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ!” God, against whom we by nature have rebelled and whom we have offended by our thoughts, words, and deeds, has adopted us into His family! He has chosen to cherish us in spite of sin—in view of Christ! This He has done according to the “good pleasure of His will.” This He has done “to the praise of the glory of His grace!” God did not choose us because of our great merit or worthiness, for we are unworthy and merit His just judgment. But in view of His grace—that active love tied directly to Jesus, the Father’s “Beloved,” He has claimed us as His own and brought us into His family!

While in prison Paul was able to praise God for these unspeakable spiritual blessings! Ought not we do the same in the midst of our troubles—great as they may seem? Our problems no doubt pale in comparison to those faced by the apostle Paul, and certainly pale in comparison with the eternal judgment from which we have been rescued. The joy, the love, and the acceptance that we so desperately need and desire, we find as God the Father embraces us in the midst of our infirmities—in Christ! LET US JOIN PAUL IN PRAISING GOD—God the Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ!

II.

Let us praise God the Son who has redeemed us through His blood! Paul writes: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”

Jesus Christ is the focal point of our faith and our hope! Paul says, “In Him” we have “redemption”—we have been bought back from Satan, sin, death, and damnation! What was the cost of that redemption? Jesus’ very own “blood!” When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, He shed His blood as our substitute. Because of His sacrifice we now possess the “forgiveness of sins,” and so obtain everlasting life! All of this, Paul reminds us, He accomplished in view of the riches of “His grace.” Notice how often Paul refers to God’s grace! The apostle John states in his first Epistle that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Grace, therefore, is part of God’s very nature, and it seeks in accordance with His will to meet our greatest need and bring us renewed life and salvation.

This plan for our salvation is “the mystery of His will,” which He worked out in time and revealed to us through His gospel. Through the gospel He gives us “all wisdom,” that is the knowledge of God’s salvation plan and an understanding of its meaning for us. He also bestows upon us “prudence”—that ability to apply the gospel message in a practical way to our lives and those of others. When you and I have been brought to know God’s love for us in Christ, we are enabled to share that message with others and help them understand its meaning for their lives!

But to what end? Jesus wants to “gather together in one all things in Christ”—things in heaven and on earth. When God created the universe He created an orderly universe. Everything was in harmony with Him. It reflected His image. When Satan rebelled discord was introduced to the universe, and when Adam and Eve were deceived into joining that rebellion it was as if this world exploded and the results are all of the sin and sorrow we see dominating the lives of people and destroying the natural world around us. Jesus’ goal is to bring us back into harmony with God and so provide for our futures. His work provides us an “inheritance,” not so that we might be in charge and pursue self-glory, for that was the false goal of Satan’s original deception—“you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5), but rather so that He might “work all things according to the counsel of His will,” and so that all things will work to “the praise of His glory!” Yes, LET US JOIN PAUL IN PRAISING GOD—God the Son who has redeemed us through His blood!

III.

Let us also praise God the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until the day of our final redemption! Paul writes: “In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Those familiar words of Paul taken from Romans are restated here as Paul examines the role of the Holy Spirit in God’s plan for our salvation. God loved us! Jesus redeemed us! But it is the Holy Spirit who through the preaching the gospel of salvation leads us to trust in Christ—to believe and thereby to receive all of the blessings God desires to bestow upon us!

What are the principal blessings of the Holy Spirit? Paul mentions two. He says that the Holy Spirit of promise—is that not a wonderful description, for God always keeps His promises—has “sealed” us. Think of the wax seals on letters and documents years ago. Those seals identified to whom the letter or document belonged and under whose protection it lay. When the Holy Spirit creates faith in your heart and mine, He claims us for our heavenly Father and places us under His protection. Think of Jesus’ words in John 10, which address not only the mystery of the Godhead but assure us of God’s divine protection, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one!” (vs. 27-28)

Secondly, the presence of the Holy Spirit within our hearts is “the guarantee of our inheritance.” As we abide in Jesus’ Word, the Holy Spirit promises to abide in us and secure us until that day that we, who have been purchased with Christ’s blood and are, therefore, God’s own possession, are taken into God’s presence in heaven! We will indeed experience great glory in heaven, but our presence there is intended ultimately to lead to the praise of His eternal glory!

My dear friends, on this Trinity Sunday may we indeed JOIN PAUL IS PRAISING GOD—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! They deserve our praise both now and throughout eternity! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
To God alone be the glory!