News Articles

This page displays more detailed information about happenings for First Presbyterian Church.

Associated Album photos

“A Plan For Our Future”: Sermon 7/15/2018

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Pastor Debbie Spangler

Sermon Text: Ephesians 1: 3-14

Do we have a plan for our future? From a child’s perspective, the future looks a long way off. There are only a few children who know what they want to do as an adult and then actually go on to do it. As a high school student, one is encouraged to focus on getting good grades to get into college. As an adult especially with a family, one’s focus is sharpened into ways to protect the family with insurance and to begin to save for the children’s college tuition and for one’s own retirement. According to a recent article by Merrill Lynch, the amount of money needed for retirement will be an average of $738,400.00.  Here’s their other cost projections: For a college education--$83,400; to raise a child to age 18---$245,300; to buy a home---$278,300. Those figures right there can give one “a heart attack”!

But have you a plan for your future after death? How much does that cost? What will you have to do? And most importantly, whose plan is this and what is your part in it?

Our Ephesians 1 text is a lovely prayer, actually a doxology and a blessing. One commentator called the first three chapters of Ephesians “doctrine set to music”. Actually, I find elements of it in “Amazing Grace”. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians explains the wonders of salvation in Christ and helps us know the significance of the gift of life with Christ.

“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 Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God---being chosen for salvation, being adopted as his children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God’s will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings NOW. When Paul speaks of the “heavenly realms”, this means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. The blessings come from Christ’s spiritual realm not the earthly realm of any of the Greek pantheon of gods. Paul says that God “chose us in him” to emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation. We did not influence God’s decision to save us, he saved us ---according to His plan! Thus we cannot take credit for our salvation. The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God long before we existed. Because of Christ, we are holy and blameless in His sight. God chose us, and we belong to him through Jesus Christ. God looks at us as if we had never sinned. All we can do is express our thanks for His wonderful love.

“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.”  Our Presbyterian ears perk up at the sound of the word “predestined”—but let us not run down that rabbit-hole here. “Predestined” here means “marked out beforehand”. This is another way of saying that salvation is God’s work and not our own doing. In his infinite love, God has adopted us as his own children. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, he has brought us into his family and made us heirs along with Jesus. In Roman law, adopted children had the same rights and privileges as biological children, even if they had been slaves. The phrase “freely given us in the One he loves” means that God graciously accepts us (though we don’t deserve it) now that we belong to his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ. We are talking about a very strong relationship with God—that of a parent and a child.

“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.” To speak of Jesus’ blood (which many Christians don’t like to do) was a first century way of speaking about Christ’s death. His death points to two truths---redemption and forgiveness. Redemption was the price paid to gain freedom for a slave. Through his death, Jesus paid the price to release US from slavery to sin. Forgiveness was granted in Old Testament times on the basis of the shedding of animals’ blood. Now we are forgiven on the basis of the shedding of Jesus’ blood---Jesus died as the perfect and final sacrifice. GRACE is God’s voluntary and loving favor given to those he saves. Again, there is nothing we can do to earn it and we don’t deserve it---it comes only from God’s mercy and love. To receive it, we must acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves, that only God can save us, and that our only way to receive this loving favor is through faith in Christ.

“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.” God was not intentionally keeping his plan a secret, but his plan for the world could not be fully understood until Christ rose from the dead. His purpose for sending Christ was to unite Jews and Gentiles in one body with Christ as the head. God’s plan is this: when the time is right, he will bring us together to be with him forever. On that day, all people will bow to Jesus as Lord; either because they love him or because they fear his power. God’s purpose is to offer salvation to the world, just as he planned to do long ago. God is in charge. Oftentimes our lives seem chaotic and out of control. This is when we need to hold onto this truth: Jesus is Lord, and God is in control. God’s purpose for you cannot be thwarted, no matter what evil Satan may bring.

“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.” The Holy Spirit is God’s seal that we belong to him and his deposit guaranteeing that he will do what he has promised. The Holy Spirit is LIKE a down payment, a deposit, a validating signature on the contract. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that we are God’s children, and secures eternal life for us. His power works in us to transform us NOW, and what we experience now is a taste of the total change we will experience in eternity.

Our plans for our future may never come to fruition. We may never save enough to retire on. We might not have the umbrella of Social Security. But we do have God’s plan of salvation for us---that gives us a sure and certain hope for the future. And for this, we owe him PRAISE now and forevermore.

I’ve read this passage twice now because I feel it is something we need to take into our very souls and into our lives. I’m going to end now with a paraphrase of it---just to let it sink in somemore:

“How marvelous God is! His Spirit has provided everything needed for life. Every good thing has been made available in Christ. We praise such a God!

Right from the first God has been busy devising a way to draw us home to himself so that we may live with him and for him. Through Jesus Christ he has made us family. As a result we owe God praise for the way he freely gave himself to us in Christ. In Christ’s death God’s abundant care for us in known; God gave himself for us to bring us back and make us his people. What lavish love he has for us! We honor you, God!

In his unfathomable wisdom God has made known his plan and desire to bring all things together in Christ. This includes everything in our world and everything in God’s world. Amazingly God’s plan includes us and gives us a share in what he is doing. For this we owe God praise for the hope that is ours in Christ. When we heard about the truth from God and believed the good news about his plan, God marked us as his own by giving us his Spirit. The Spirit’s dwelling in us is a pledge from God that he will complete his plan and that one day we will truly live with God. For this we owe God praise and worship. Amen.