Pentecost 8, 2009
Ephesians 1:3-14
“Chosen before creation”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
On a scale of one through ten (ten being the strongest) how strong would you rank your faith? This is a question that I have asked the confirmands on a few different occasions. Usually confirmands like to answer the question strongly with an eight or nine; not wanting to answer with a perfect ten. But I ask them: “Do you ever get into fights with your siblings? Do you ever get in trouble at school? Do you always do what your parents ask you to do?” The eight and nines usually turn into five and sixes. Knowing that…I ask you…how strong is your faith? To answer the question myself I would have to admit that I cannot use just one number for my faith wavers from ones and twos to eights and nines. Throughout life the strength of faith changes.
Faith goes through ups and downs because of the sinful world we live in. Our faith can be highest as we bring our children to be baptized and confirmed. Our faith can be strongest when we celebrate the joyous days of Christmas and Easter. Our faith may seem strongest when life is going good. But there are many days that don’t go so good. There are many days when our faith is tested and we are in deepest worry and despair.
Days when we burry our children, days when we lose our homes and jobs, days when relationships are shattered beyond repair, days when everything goes wrong; these are the days we often wonder why things happen to us, we wonder where God is, we may even wonder if God can or will love us. It’s not a matter of if we have these days…but when. Why do we have days like this? Is it because we don’t have faith? No…for any day you worry about your faith is a day you have faith. It’s when you don’t care about your faith that should concern.
It is on these days, the hard days, the days that are hopeless that God reminds us of His love. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 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 fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Praise be to God our Father for what He has done for us in Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual, heavenly blessing. He chose us to be His children before creation. He chose to love us before we were a twinkle in our mother’s eye. He chose to send His Son to die on the cross for us before Adam and Eve walked this earth. If ever you wonder if God loves you…look at the words of our text. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Ephesians 1:4)
But how can we poor miserable sinners be holy and blameless in God’s sight; how can we…people who lie to our family and friends, people who cheat and lust after money and wealth, people that murder with words and actions, people that commit adultery, people that sin each and every day…how can we be holy and blameless in God’s sight? I pray you know that answer…and even if you do…you need to be reminded of it. God loves you! You are holy and blameless in His sight.
“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:5-8)
God truly loves His people and calls them out of this sinful world into His loving arms by grace through faith. For most of us this occurred in our Baptism for others after hearing the Word of God. No matter what age God works faith in us through His Word and the Holy Spirit that comes to us in that Word.
For one man it came when he least expected it. There was a man that was born a son of a well off sea merchant. This man sailed with his father and later was impressed into service on a man-of-war vessel. The man found the conditions intolerable. He tried to escape and was flogged receiving 95 lashes for desertion. He was transferred to a ship that carried and traded for slaves. He became a servant for a slave master and was abused. He thought about committing suicide. He was saved by a sea-captain friend of His father. Became a captain of his own ship and was brought to faith during a tremendous storm off the coast of Donegal. He went on to become a Pastor proclaiming God’s love and grace to all. He wrote his own tombstone: “John Newton, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slavery in Africa,was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.” John Newton gives his grateful testimony of God’s love for him in the hymn he wrote: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found—was blind, but now I see.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ: No matter where you have come from on this path of life. No matter what you have done—even to destroy and reject Christ your Savior know His love for you. No matter what kind of day you are having; no matter how weak or strong your faith is…Christ is with you. He is with you always. He sends His angels to watch over you. God’s Amazing Grace is for you and it for all of us wretches; all of us poor miserable sinners. From before creation God loved you and planned to give up His Son for you. That is your Father’s love. Come and receive the guarantee of that love in the body and blood of Christ. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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