PASTOR'S CORNER

Eph 1-11-14 There are three important words we are going to see in this text, and it’s something that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds as we go through this passage about the inheritance we have through the gospel. Predestined Heard Sealed Three very important words that bring rest and comfort and blessed assurance to the promises given by God, Himself .  Why is that expression “By God, Himself” important to emphasize.  See….. I break my promises from time to time. (Ask my children and my wife)   You break your promises from time to time. (Ask your family & friends)   It is human nature to break promises. (It’s part of our selfish fallen nature)   Governments/politicians break promises. (That’s a no brainier)   Advertisers break promises (not as good of a product as they promised)   Employers and employees break promises (The promises of wages or hours increased, to lack of production and unreli...

Eph 1:7-10 The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a scandalous message of redeeming grace. What do I mean that it’s scandalous? Scandalous by definition is “Causing general public outrage by a perceived offense against morality or law.”  The world at large see’s Jesus and the gospel as hate speech; the gospel is a major threat to our so called “Civilization”.  This message is so scandalous the Jews and Greeks didn’t get because of their ignorance to the truth of the gospel and Jesus Christ.  To the Jew, the Gospel was the worst sort of blasphemy because it claimed that the Nazarene who died accursed on Calvary was the Messiah.  To the Greeks, it was the worst sort of absurdity because it claimed that “Jesus” this Jewish Messiah was God in the flesh.  The Apostle Paul wrote “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs a...

Eph 1:5-6 I want you think about this statement by A W Pink in his book “The Attributes Of God” as we continue in this letter by the Apostle Paul. W Pink said “In the beginning, God” There was no Heaven, where His glory is now particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention. There were no angels to hymn His praises; no universe to be upheld by the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for a day, a year, or an age, but “from everlasting.” During a past eternity, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied; in need of nothing. Had a universe, had angels, had human beings been necessary to Him in any way, they also had been called into existence from all eternity. The creating of them when He did added nothing to God essentially. He changes not as Mal 3;6, therefore His essential glory can be neither augmented or diminished. God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create….He chose t...