11.26.17~The Reason for THANKS-GIVING
11.26.17 ~ Ephesians 1:1-6, “The Reason for THANKS-GIVING.”
Read Ephesians 1:1-3... God doesn't necessarily bless His children with good looks, intelligence, health, wealth, or long life here on earth; but He does provide us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, i.e., everything we need to know Him, love Him, trust Him and serve Him while enjoying life on this earth, as we wait to go to heaven to be with Him forever (see 1Peter 1:3-5).
If you are a Christian, you belong to God and your eternal home is in heaven, but you are on temporary duty assignment here on earth (cf. 1Peter 2:11-12).
The phrase “Inhabitants of the earth,” used 7 times in the Book of Revelation, refers to those (Revelation 17:8), "whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world...” These are people who will never come to God’s Son as Lord and Savior.
At the present time it appears that the inhabitants of the earth (the unbelieving majority) have more wealth and influence then God’s people; but God has blessed His people with wisdom, power and eternity with Him.
Ecclesiastes 2:26, “To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.”
God doesn’t choose wise, strong, rich, handsome, or influential people, to serve Him; instead, He chooses regular people like you and me, people who are forever changed by Christ, people who will testify to the world how the holy and almighty God of Creation is reconciling lost sinners to Himself (see 1Corinthians 1:18, 26-31; 2Corinthians 5:17-21).
As a Christian you have everything you need to serve God victoriously, as you grow in a personal and eternal relationship with Him, through Christ (see 2Peter 1:3-4).
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and save your soul, please consider it as we study the Scriptures together today.
Read Ephesians 1:4-6... It is not my intention today to try to settle the issue of God's sovereignty vs. human responsibility; but I do want to cite what the Scriptures clearly declare about believing in Jesus Christ, for which we are thankful.
God is sovereign and has given man free will to obey or disobey God's commands; those who reject His Son will be condemned, those who believe in and receive Him will be saved (see John 1:11-13; 3:16-18; 14:6; Acts 2:21; 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13).
Revelation 1:8, “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’" 18, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Notice again (Ephesians 1:4-6), God has sovereignly determined that people from every nation and tongue will believe in His Son. In fact, God chose us before there were any people on the earth.
The Greek word for "chose" infers that the One making the choice is selecting a small number out of a larger number for a specific purpose. God is the Creator, Savior, Sustainer and Judge over All for Eternity, and He has sovereignly determined that out of all those who have and/or will live on this earth, He would set apart a people of His own for the purpose of knowing Him intimately.
God predestined us (all Christians) to be saved and adopted into His eternal family, that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. The word "predestined" means "to mark out ahead of time," to "predetermine" some who would belong to God.
It is sovereignly God who has determined (9 times the pronouns He, Him, and His are used to express God's divine act in choosing) those who would be saved and set apart for His intended purpose, to glorify God.
Before Adam and Eve were created, God determined to have for Himself, out of all those who would be born on earth, a people of His very own, a people who would become His children and recipients of His unconditional and eternal love expressed in and through Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures are very clear that God has predestined a people to be set apart for salvation, and to live with Him forever in heaven; but do the Scriptures also teach that God has sovereignly set apart a people to be lost and separated from His love, condemned to an eternal hell?
No! Again, I say emphatically, “No!” The Scriptures do not promote any such teaching or imply that God has set apart a person or a group of persons to be "marked out ahead of time," specifically for condemnation, to spend eternity apart from God in a place of torment.
However, the Scriptures do repeatedly instruct (1Timothy 2:3-4) that, "God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth"; and (2Peter 3:9) that, “[God] is patient not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance."
God has not predetermined that anyone go to Hell; but instead, He has sovereignly determined that some will spend eternity in heaven with Him.
And all this (Ephesians 1:6), “is to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves,” Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Savior and Lord.
God is, by His very nature, loving, merciful and gracious, blessing those who obey Him; but God is also just, holy and righteous, and must therefore render judgment and bring punishment upon all those who disobey Him, those who reject His Son.
By His own pleasure and will, God sovereignly determined that He would have a people of His very own, a people who will love, praise and honor Him.
Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for ‘Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.’”
Question: What is the Biblical definition for good? Answer: Anything and everything that pleases God.
God is sovereign in salvation, yet He holds every person responsible for their response to Jesus Christ.
The greatest reason in all the world for giving thanks, is this: Although we are all sinners, unacceptable to God, He loves us so much that He sent His Own Son to take our punishment for sin and to provide forgiveness and eternal life to anyone, to everyone, who will believe in and receive Him as Savior and Lord.
No wonder Paul exhorts us (1Thessalonians 5:17-18), “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
If you know that you have eternal life, you are indeed thankful; but even if you don’t know for sure that you have received forgiveness for sins and eternal life, you can ask God right now, to save you; He turns no one away, and for that, even those who don’t believe in Him can be very very thankful!
Pastor Mike >‘(((><