Ephesians 1
WHY WE CAN’T FAIL
EPIC FAIL
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being exceptionally bad at something
the glorious lack of success
for an item/thing to fail, it has to not be what it is.
Being exceptionally bad.
Glorious lack of success.
FAIL: Not being what
it is, or should be.
Democratic Republic of Korea
DEMOCRATIC FAIL.
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North Korea in last place
as the most authoritarian
regime in a ranking of
democracy assessing 167
countries.
Wrong
name FTW!
People name things in
the hope and expectation
they will live up to their
names.
Ivan
God’s gracious gift to women.
The Church.
The body of Christ.
Jesus Youth Ministry
Are we fail?
EPHESIANS
About the gathering together of all
things in Jesus Christ.
In this world, anything
apart from Christ is
disunity and disharmony.
i.e. FAIL.
The Church is to be
Christ’s instrument, to
bring everything back to
unity.
The Church must not fail. It
CANNOT fail.
The church cannot fail
because…
God is working out everything
according to His will.
THE CHURCH IN VICTORY
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The church cannot fail because God’s plan in
the future is for it to reflect His glory.
The church cannot fail because we have been
given everything we need to succeed.
The church cannot fail because God is counting
on us.
“For he chose us in him
before the creation of the
world to be holy and
blameless in his sight.”
Ephesians 1:4
PREDESTINATION: WHAT
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Before the creation of the world (v.4)
To be adopted as sons (and daughters) of Jesus
Christ (v.5)
Done in accordance with God’s pleasure and
will (v.5)
PREDESTINATION: WHY
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To be holy and blameless (v.4)
To the praise of his glorious grace (v.6), and the
praise of His glory (v.12)
The big question about
predestination:
What do you do about it?
PREDESTINATION vs. FREE
WILL
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Predestination in the New Testament sense
applies only to God: that He appoints a situation
to happen in advance.
Free will affirms that our outcomes are
dependent on our actions; that we can actually
choose our destinies.
Explanation #1:
Predestination is
foreknowledge.
God knows it’s going to happen, but
He doesn’t force us to do it.
PREDESTINATION IS
FOREKNOWLEDGE
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Problems:
God seems to do more than just to know.
“For those God foreknew he ALSO predestined
to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…”
Romans 8:29
EXPLANATION 2:
Free Will is Limited.
We can choose, but only what God has
decided we will choose.
FREE WILL IS LIMITED
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Belief, or faith, becomes redundant.
Salvation is for everyone who believes, not
everyone who God chooses. (Romans 1:16)
EXPLANATION #3:
Contradictions can and
do exist in reality.
Predestination and free will exist together.
“For since the creation of the world
God’s invisible qualities – his eternal
power and divine nature – have been
clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made.” – Romans 1:20
QUANTUM PHYSICS
The study of the small.
Firing bullets through slits.
A whole lotta lumps.
R
Slit Close
L
Bullet Source
Firing light through slits.
Light is a wave, so you get a different
pattern through wave interference. Ok
whatever.
R
L
Light Source
Using Electrons…
What would you expect from
Electrons ?
Amazing !
Left Open
Right Open
Left and Right Open
It’s as if the electron KNEW WHERE TO
GO.
2 Slits Experiment
(Electrons with Agents )
Agent
R
L
Agent
Electron Source
When the agents are
looking, THE ELECTRONS
CHANGED THEIR
BEHAVIOUR, as if they
knew somebody was
watching.
What does Quantum Physics teach
us?
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The final outcome is determinate.
But you only KNOW the outcome when you
SEE it.
As long as we don’t look, all possibilities remain
open.
The act of observation transforms possibility
into destiny. All the other possibilities collapse.
Quantum Physics and
Predestination
Irreconcilable realities do not have to
be reconciled. They can be equally true.
HOW PREDESTINATION
WORKS?
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God has predetermined the outcome.
However, we make that outcome known by our
actions.
When you accept God and believe, only then
will you realise that it was God choosing you all
along.
“And he made known
to us the mystery of his
will…” (v.9)
You don’t say, Paul.
God WILL continue
His work in you.
“And those he predestined, he also
called; those he called, he also justified;
those he justified, he also glorified”
(Romans 8:30)
WHAT WE NEED TO DO
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Acknowledge that God is sovereign and
allowing/making everything happen.
BUT at the same time allow yourself to be
shaped by him
PROMISES FOR THE
PREDESTINED
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Paul is writing Ephesians to the saints – people
who hope in Christ (v.12), heard the word of
truth and believed (v.13)
All other possibilities for us have collapsed – we
have a sure destiny.
This is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, a seal that
guarantees our inheritance. (v.14)
The church cannot fail
because…
We have been given everything we
need to succeed.
From now on, our
promise is sure – Christ
has blessed us “in the
heavenly realms with
every spiritual blessing”
(v.3)
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
Start of the When you
world
believed
Working in
your life now
Endpoint
Chosen
(v.4)
Wisdom to
understand
God’s blessings
(v.17)
Breakthrough
power (v.19)
Everything
will be
brought
under God
(v.10)
Redemption
(v.7)
Forgiveness
(v.7)
Holy Spirit
(v.13)
To be IN CHRIST.
That’s the key. So what are we to do?
WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
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MAKE SURE you are really in him.(John 14:21)
CONSIDER yourselves in him. (Gal 2:20)
LIVE in him. (John 15:7)
GIVE THANKS and PRAY for others to grow
in him. (v.16,17,18)
The church cannot fail
because…
God is counting on us.
The church... “is his
body, the fullness of him
who fills everything in
every way” (v.23)
We live and walk in
victory.
Because God is working.
Because God gave us all we need.
Because God is counting on us.
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY WE
CAN LIVE.