Predestined in the Promise Eph. 1:3-4
Overview
Predestined in the Promise
Even mature believers can wrestle with assurance. Fred Rogers—an ordained pastor who spent his life proclaiming neighborly love—reportedly asked his wife on his deathbed, "Do you think I'm a sheep?" He had in mind Jesus' words about separating sheep from goats in Matthew 25:31-33. His question reveals how easily the Christian heart can drift from confidence into doubt. Scripture, however, was not given to drive us into despair. As Paul says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching… that the man of God may be complete" 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and "whatever was written… was written for our instruction, that… we might have hope" Romans 15:4.
The word "destined" in Ephesians 1:5, 11 translates the Greek proorizō—to decide or appoint beforehand. We cannot ignore the word, but neither should we distort it. Pressed to extremes, predestination becomes either a license for prideful presumption ("I'm elected, so my life and prayers don't matter") or a doorway to crippling despair ("I may not be among the chosen, so nothing I do matters"). Both errors miss the point. As Deuteronomy 7:6 shows with Israel, God's choosing is the act of a Father gathering a treasured people. To be "chosen in Christ" means God has set His care upon you, revealed His Word to you, adopted you as His child, and determined to spend eternity with you—"according to the good pleasure of His will" Ephesians 1:5.
This adoption rests not on our merit but on Christ's. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" Ephesians 1:7. God "has destined us not for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10. And Jesus Himself promises, "No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father… and I will raise that person on the last day" John 6:44; "My sheep hear my voice… I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand" John 10:27-28. How do you know you are chosen? Because you have heard the Word of truth and been "marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit" Ephesians 1:13. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" Romans 10:17. The Spirit drew you to listen—that itself is evidence of the Father's choosing.
Resist the temptation to peer behind the curtain of God's hidden will and try to sort sheep from goats; that is not our work. Paul warns, "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" Romans 11:33, and "Who are you, a human being, to argue with God?" Romans 9:20. When we stray from what God has revealed, we lose sight of His grace—and of Christ Himself. So work through election only in the context God has given: your salvation is grounded not in your virtue but in the Father's will, the Son's blood, and the Spirit's work through the Word. He chose you. Be secure in that. Find comfort in that. Do not stray from it. He chose you.
Transcript
Do we all know who Mr. Rogers is? 0s
Mr. Rogers' neighborhood, snapping new day, right? 2s
We know who Mr. Rogers is. 5s
I watched his documentary, or the documentary 7s
made about Mr. Rogers a couple of weeks ago. 10s
It was amazing. 13s
And something that was very striking to me 14s
was when Mr. Rogers was dying, he asked his wife, 17s
do you think I'm a sheep? 23s
Mr. Rogers was an ordained pastor. 27s
He knew Jesus. 29s
He lived his life spreading love, 31s
trying to bring that message of love of one's neighbor 33s
and of one's self to everyone. 38s
And yet he lay on his deathbed, asking his wife, 42s
do you think I'm a sheep? 46s
And what he's referring to was the passage in Matthew 25. 50s
It says, when the son of man comes in his glory 55s
and all the angels with him, then he will sit 58s
on the throne of his glory. 61s
All the nations will be gathered before him, 62s
and he will separate people, one from another 65s
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 68s
And he will put the sheep at his right hand 71s
and the goats at his left. 74s
Mr. Rogers, who knew Jesus questioned at the end, 79s
whether or not he would be in heaven with Christ 85s
because he didn't think that he had any assurance. 88s
In Scripture, there are some passages 96s
like the one we heard today in Ephesians 98s
that mentions predestination or destined or election. 100s
And some Christian traditions don't know 106s
quite what to do with these words. 107s
So they sort of ignore them or pass by them, 111s
focusing on a different aspect of the text. 114s
But we see the word right in there, in page 169 117s
in verses 5 and 11, it says, destined. 121s
Destined, this word is from the Greek word, 125s
pro-orizio, which means to pre-determine 128s
or to decide or appoint beforehand. 132s
We can't ignore the word. 136s
It is there. 138s
But there's another problem that some Christians have 141s
with this word, and that they use that predestined 144s
or destined word in a very extreme manner, 147s
asserting that if one person is actively 152s
pre-destined by God to have eternal life in heaven, 155s
then that must mean that another person is actively 160s
predestined by God to an eternity of damn nation. 164s
And we refer to this as double predestination. 169s
The danger in this teaching is that it can lead a Christian 174s
down a path of either being very prideful 179s
in their security and thereby unrepentant. 181s
I am elected to salvation. 184s
So nothing is gonna change with the way I live my life. 187s
I have no need of prayer, I have no need of faith. 190s
I have no need of shame or considering 193s
the consequence of my actions. 196s
I can disregard God's word, God's sacraments. 199s
And certainly there's no need to bother 202s
with any of this chatting with God. 204s
Or, or this double predestination 208s
leaves the Christian so completely insecure 212s
in their salvation that he or she is discouraged 217s
and despairing, I may not be one of those 220s
who's chosen for eternal life. 224s
So anything I say or do or pray is in vain. 227s
I am a worthless sinner. 231s
I know my weakness is I wouldn't choose me 233s
so why would God? 236s
How many of us are like that first Christian? 240s
Just living with no concern of what God's word says, 242s
living in direct opposition to the instruction of the Lord. 246s
And how many of us are like Mr. Rogers? 252s
In despair as to whether or not he or we are one 256s
of God's sheep because we just don't know. 261s
But God did not give us his word to drive us into despair 266s
or doubt. 270s
In second Timothy Paul wrote, 272s
all scripture is breathed out by God 273s
and profitable for teaching, for reprove, for correction, 275s
and for training in righteousness 279s
that the man of God may be complete equipped 281s
for every good work. 284s
In Romans 15 it says whatever was written was written 286s
for our instruction that through endurance 289s
and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 291s
God gave us his word to instruct us, correct us, 296s
train us, but also to give us hope. 300s
So let's turn to this word, the reading that we heard today 304s
to be taught and trained in righteousness 308s
so that we may have hope. 311s
Paul begins his letter to the church and Ephesus with a prayer. 314s
And at the start of this prayer, we read in verses four 318s
and five, he that is God the Father, 321s
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world 324s
to be holy and blameless before Him in love. 328s
He destined us for adoption as his children 332s
through Jesus Christ, 335s
according to the good pleasure of His will. 336s
When we read or hear the term chosen 340s
in connection with God, the Father, we can't help but think 342s
of Israel. 346s
God's chosen people. 347s
In due to ronomy it says, for you are a people 349s
holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you. 351s
Out of all the peoples on the earth to be His people, 356s
His treasured possession. 359s
God had set the Israelites apart to be His people, 362s
whom He cared for. 366s
And to whom He revealed His will and His word. 368s
It's also through the chosen people of Israel 372s
that God brought forth, his only begotten son, Jesus. 374s
Our Ephesians text says that God chose us in Christ. 379s
So what does that mean to be chosen in Christ? 385s
What does it mean to be adopted 389s
as one of God's children through Jesus Christ? 391s
And how is one chosen in Christ? 395s
To be chosen in Christ means we, 402s
like the Israelites, are chosen to be people 405s
that God cares for. 407s
It also means that God has decided to reveal His word 409s
and His will to us. 413s
To be chosen in Christ is to be chosen 415s
as those with whom God will spend eternity. 417s
But the choosing that God made before the foundation 422s
of the world is more personal than saying, 426s
you are chosen as ones who will worship me eternally. 430s
Look again at verse five. 434s
It says he destined us for adoption as His children 435s
through Jesus Christ. 439s
We are made His children invited to call Him our Father, 442s
our dad, to live our lives here and now 447s
and eternally in close relationship with Him. 450s
And this adoption has nothing to do with our merit 456s
or our deserving it. 459s
We are made sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. 462s
How does this happen? 467s
Look at verse seven. 468s
In Him we have redemption through His blood. 471s
The forgiveness of our trespasses, 475s
according to the riches of His grace. 477s
We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus and our sins are forgiven. 481s
You are redeemed. 487s
You are forgiven. 491s
Not according to your grace, 495s
not according to your goodness, 497s
but according to the grace of God. 499s
When Jesus died and had been raised to life again, 503s
your adoption was made complete. 506s
We together with all who had once been outside the Father, 510s
were brought into relationship with Him through Jesus. 513s
Why? 518s
Because God wants you with Him. 520s
In verse thus low, 522s
it says, 523s
God has destined us not for wrath, 524s
but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 527s
who died for us, 530s
so that whether we are awake or asleep, 531s
we may live with Him. 534s
Or how about what Jesus said in the gospel text this morning? 537s
This is indeed the will of my Father, 541s
that all who see the Son and believe in Him may have eternal life, 543s
and I will raise them up on the last day. 547s
God has chosen you because He wants you. 551s
I know you must be sitting there, 556s
asking yourselves, 558s
asking me pastoral and act. 559s
How can you know that God has chosen me? 560s
Our Ephesians text answers that. 564s
Reverse 13 with me. 567s
In Him, you also, 569s
when you had heard the word of truth, 572s
the gospel of your salvation and had believed in Him, 574s
were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. 578s
When you had heard the word of truth, 582s
and we know in Romans it says that faith, 586s
faith comes from what is heard, 591s
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. 593s
I know that God has chosen you because He has already drawn you in 597s
to hear His word. 602s
He has made it so that you would hear the word of truth, 604s
that you would hear the good news, 607s
which is the gospel of your salvation, 610s
and God draws to Himself those who He will resurrect 614s
to be with Him also from our gospel. 618s
No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, 622s
and I will raise that person on the last day. 627s
So we have the assurance through Christ's own words 631s
that He will raise all who are brought in by the Father. 634s
So your salvation, it's secure. 639s
It's done. 642s
You are one of Christ's sheep, 642s
and He said that my sheep hear my voice. 645s
I know them and they follow me. 648s
I will give them eternal life and they will never perish. 651s
No one will snatch them out of my hand. 655s
This brings us to that question of why. 659s
Why am I a sheep? 663s
Why am I drawn in by the Father 666s
when someone else isn't? 668s
Why would my neighbor or my uncle or my sibling 671s
or my child be left out? 675s
Let me just say one thing. 680s
Stop before you start. 684s
Stop before you start. 686s
Don't do it. 687s
Don't begin down the path of questioning and trying to, 688s
as CW Walter says, 692s
we are not invited to separate the sheep from the goats. 698s
We are not God. 704s
It is not our place to try to figure out salvation 706s
past what He has already revealed to us. 709s
In Romans it says, 714s
Do not say in your heart, 715s
who will ascend to heaven or who will descend into the abyss? 716s
We only know what has been revealed to us 721s
in His Word, which is that verse 7 of our Ephesians text, 723s
in Him we have redemption through His blood, 728s
the forgiveness of our trespasses, 731s
according to the riches of His grace. 733s
When we venture away from what God has revealed to us, 738s
God's election doesn't make sense for us. 741s
And our imaginations run wild, 745s
and we lose sight of God's mercy and His grace. 747s
And when we lose sight of God's grace and mercy, 752s
we lose sight of Christ. 757s
And when we lose sight of Christ, 760s
we find ourselves spiraling out of control 762s
into spare grief and anger. 766s
And when we are angry with the unknowable, 770s
which there are things of God that are unknowable, 774s
which we cannot know, 777s
Paul wrote in Romans, 779s
O the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, 781s
how unsertible are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways. 785s
When we're angry that we cannot know all of God's ways, 790s
we start to argue like an insulin child. 795s
Let's go back to Romans, 800s
where Paul writes, 802s
who indeed are you, a human being, 803s
to argue with God. 807s
What then are we to say, 810s
is there injustice on God's part by no means? 811s
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, 817s
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 820s
So it depends not on human will or exertion, 825s
but on God who shows mercy. 828s
And as much as we want to know, 831s
the ends and outs of God's will, 833s
we can never know more than what He has revealed to us. 836s
And He has revealed to us Jesus Christ, 841s
who was crucified for you, 845s
so that you could be resurrected with Him. 847s
When we begin to work through election 851s
or predestination, 855s
we have to work through it in the context 856s
of the world, with which God has given it to us, 859s
which is that our election is not founded upon our own piety 861s
or our own virtue, 866s
but it is founded only upon the merit of Jesus Christ 867s
and the will of the Father. 872s
The Father chose us in Christ 875s
before the foundation of the world to be holy, 877s
and blameless before Him in love. 881s
The Son redeems us through His blood 884s
and forgives us our trespasses. 887s
The Holy Spirit works faith in us 890s
when we hear the word of truth. 894s
When we read texts like Paul's letter 897s
to the Ephesians, 899s
we get sidetracked by our questioning. 901s
And we lose the purpose. 904s
God did not inspire Paul 907s
to write these words a predestination 909s
in order to cause doubt and fear and trembling. 911s
These words were written to do the exact opposite. 917s
They're filled with mercy 922s
and hope and comfort and promise. 924s
Listen again. 929s
Listen again. 931s
I challenge you, 932s
not to listen it. 934s
Not to listen to it 935s
with obstinate hearts and minds, 937s
but open hearts. 940s
Open minds. 943s
A heart open to the call of the Father 945s
a mind set upon the grace of Jesus. 948s
Close your eyes. 952s
Get rid of any distractions 954s
and listen to the words written for you. 956s
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 960s
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing 964s
in the heavenly places. 967s
Just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world 968s
to be holy and blameless before him in love, 973s
he destined us for adoption as his children 977s
through Jesus Christ, 980s
according to the good pleasure of his will, 982s
to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. 985s
In him, we have redemption through his blood, 991s
the forgiveness of our trespasses, 995s
according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. 997s
With all wisdom and insight, 1002s
he has made known to us the mystery of his will, 1004s
according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ 1007s
as a plan for the fullness of time, 1011s
to gather up all things in him, 1014s
things in heaven and things on earth. 1018s
In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, 1021s
having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things, 1024s
according to his counsel and will, 1029s
so that we who were the first to set our hope on Christ 1031s
might live for the praise of his glory. 1035s
In him, you also, 1038s
when you had heard the word of truth, 1041s
the gospel of your salvation and had believed in him, 1044s
you were marked with the seal of the promised holy spirit. 1048s
This is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption 1051s
as God's own people to the praise of his glory. 1056s
My friends, 1065s
he chose you. 1067s
Be secure in that. 1072s
Find comfort in that. 1075s
Do not stray from that. 1077s
Hear me. 1081s
One more time. 1082s
He chose you. 1084s