His Glorious Grace • Ephesians 1:3-14 • Sunday, January 4, 2026

Chosen Before Time: Understanding God's Grace and Our Inheritance

Before the universe existed, before light pierced the darkness, before the first breath of creation—you were already on God's mind. This staggering truth forms the foundation of one of the most profound spiritual realities we can grasp: we are chosen, not by accident or merit, but by divine grace.

The Two-Way Street of Blessing

The concept of blessing flows in two directions, creating a beautiful exchange between Creator and creation. When we think of blessings, we naturally envision God blessing us—and indeed, He does so abundantly. But Scripture also calls us to bless God. How does finite humanity bless an infinite God?

The answer is simpler than we might think. Every time we gather for worship, we bless God. When we sing hymns of praise, we bless God. Through prayers of thanksgiving, keeping the Sabbath, and sharing His word with others, we bless God. These acts tell Him what we think of Him, how we feel about Him, and demonstrate our gratitude for His presence in our lives.

Think about receiving a gift at Christmas. The joy you feel comes not just from the item itself, but from knowing someone thought of you, cared enough to choose something for you. Similarly, God is blessed when we think about Him—when we prioritize Him enough to show up, to praise, to thank, to share.

And how does God bless us? With "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." These blessings are too numerous to count, too vast to contain. They represent the immense generosity of a God who holds nothing back from His children.

Grace: The Foundation of Everything

At the heart of all divine blessing stands one five-letter word: grace. Without grace, nothing else is possible. Without grace, there is no predestination, no inheritance, no hope.

Grace can be understood as an acronym: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Everything we receive flows from Jesus entering our world, living perfectly on our behalf, suffering and dying on the cross, and rising victorious from the grave. All of this is wrapped up in grace—an undeserved, unearned gift flowing from God's love.

Grace means we receive blessing not because we're particularly special or because we've achieved something remarkable. We receive it because of God's character, His nature, His decision to love us. This is both humbling and liberating.

Chosen Before the Foundation of the World

Perhaps the most mind-blowing truth in Scripture is this: God chose us before the foundation of the world. Before anything was created, He was thinking about you specifically. He chose you to be His own—not because you deserved it (none of us do), but by grace.

This choosing, this predestination, follows a divine progression outlined in Romans 8:

• Those He predestined (before creation)
• He also called (through baptism or hearing His word)
• He also justified (through Christ's death and resurrection)
• He also glorified (our future inheritance)

The calling happens when we hear God's word for the first time and something awakens in our souls. Whether through the waters of baptism or the power of Scripture, God calls us by name: "Believe in me." Our hearts wake up and respond to that voice.

Justification occurred at the cross and empty tomb, but we're connected to it individually through baptism. As Scripture tells us, we are "buried with him by baptism into death in order that just as he was raised through the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life."

The Inheritance We Cannot Earn

An inheritance exists because someone else worked, earned, and accumulated resources, then chose to pass them on. The recipient does nothing to earn an inheritance—they simply receive what someone else provided.

This perfectly illustrates our spiritual reality. We inherit eternal life, glory, and the fullness of God's presence not through our efforts but through Christ's work. He earned it. He assembled it. He has it ready to give at the appointed time when all believers are gathered together in His presence.

Revelation 7 paints this picture: "A multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, all clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands."

This is our inheritance—experiencing the fullness of God's glory together with all His people across all time. The estate will be settled when everyone named in the will receives their portion. And remarkably, every believer receives the full inheritance because Jesus wants to give us glory.

Sealed with the Promise

When we hear "the word of truth, the gospel of salvation," and believe, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. This seal functions as a guarantee—a divine promise backed by Christ Himself.

We value guarantees when making purchases because they represent the certainty that someone stands behind the product. How much more valuable is a guarantee backed by the Creator of the universe? The Holy Spirit serves as the down payment, the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire full possession of it.

The Wisdom That Matters Most

While worldly wisdom has its place—like Solomon seeking wisdom to lead Israel—the wisdom that truly matters is the wisdom that makes us "wise unto salvation." This wisdom comes from hearing God's word, from gathering in worship, from immersing ourselves in Scripture.

This is the wisdom that connects us to eternal realities, that helps us understand our identity as God's chosen children, that reveals the magnitude of grace poured out for us.

Living as the Chosen

What awaits us defies imagination—glory beyond comprehension, reunion with all our brothers and sisters in Christ, everlasting life in God's presence. All of this exists not because we did anything special or earned anything tremendous, but because of one simple reality: He chose us by grace.

This truth should fundamentally shape how we live. We are not orphans struggling to earn God's attention. We are adopted children, predestined before creation, called by name, justified through Christ, and awaiting our full inheritance.

Cherish His grace. Bless Him through worship, thanksgiving, and obedience. And rest in the stunning reality that before anything existed, God was already thinking about you—and He chose you to be His own.

(Content generated by PulpitAI from sermon transcript)