Predestined Us to Adoption

Well, today I would like to discuss God's great love for us. It's easy for us to forget how deeply and how long God has desired for us to become His children. Today, as we continue to ponder the upcoming Passover Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I'd like us all to remind ourselves of God's promises and the destiny He has planned for each and every one of us. As David was inspired to write in Psalm 16, he said, You will show me the path of life, and your presence is the fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. And that's exactly what God has planned for us.

And what I want to encourage us to do today, as we are following up with some sermons that have been reflective, that have encouraged self-examination and maybe have hinged in some ways on correction, I want us to realize how much and how deeply God loves us. Because the real motivator in life, in existence, is not fear. That's external motivator. Someone from the outside has to put that pressure on us. It isn't incentive. That's external. Someone on the outside has to bribe us to do what's right. The best form of motivation is internal. It comes from the inside. It's because I want to do something. I know something is good for me. I know something is beneficial for me. I know what makes me better. And therefore, I'm going to do it. That is the most powerful form of motivation. Fear motivation, incentive motivation, are only temporary. And again, they're external. Someone has to apply that form of motivation from the outside. But what I'd like to talk about today is what comes from the inside. It comes from our understanding and appreciation of the awesome love that God has for us. That he's been waiting millions of years to fulfill a plan that he had long, long ago to expand his family and to give us mere mortal, physical human beings the precious gift and privilege to someday become part of his literal family. Let's go to Ephesians chapter one, and we will pick it up in verse one. Ephesians chapter one and verse one. See what Paul tells the congregation here in Ephesus. He writes, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So it says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He's given us sure promises. He's given us an understanding that we are to inherit the universe, that we are to share in everything that he has. He is offered us eternal life and pleasures that are indescribable in mere human languages for us to enjoy for all eternity. So indeed he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing he's brought us together as a family. We not only have our physical biological families, but he's given us a spiritual family to grow and to love and to share our lives with. We could go on and on with the spiritual blessings that God has given us. Let's pick it up here in verse 4. Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, before earth existed, he chose us in him in Christ. He said, I want to expand my family and I want to know people who are going to grow to the point that I can literally transform them from being physical and mortal and fleshly into something that's spiritual and eternal. That's something that he's been thinking about, that he's been desiring to do since the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Does he want us to be holy and without blame fearfully? Does he want us to cringe before his throne in fear? No. Does he want to have to bribe us to do what's right? Does he want to have to provide an incentive to motivate us to do the things that are the right things to do? No.

He wants us to be holy and without blame before him in a deep and profound love. Thank you, God, for those rich spiritual blessings you've given me. That motivates me to use your spirit to transform my life because I want to. Not because I'm afraid not to. Not because I have to have ever increasing levels of a bribe or incentive to do the right thing. I'm going to do the right things because it comes from my heart and I want to do those things. Verse 5, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. As I said before, does God look upon us and hold his nose? Does God say to himself, boy, I sure made a big mistake calling that one.

No, God doesn't feel that way about us at all. We bring God pleasure. And in spite of our flaws and foibles and things that we struggle with, in anticipation he waits for the time when we can literally become his spiritual sons and daughters in the fullness according to his will. The good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace by which he has made us accepted in the beloved. Now, the two words here that I want to focus on. One word just for a brief moment of time and then another word the rest of the sermon is really built upon. The first word is predestination. It's a Greek word pro-ord-id-zoo and it means to pre-determine something in advance or determine something beforehand to pre-ordain.

Doesn't it make sense to you that if he's the Alpha and the Omega and he knows the beginning and the end that he may also know what happens between the beginning and the end?

You're not here by accident. Your calling isn't a mistake. God did not bring you out of this world by just some luck of the draw. There was a purpose for him to call you now in this lifetime rather than wait as he has for so many others after the kingdom of God is established on earth a thousand years new and to bring them up in another resurrection and allow them to learn his way of life. There is a reason he has called you as an individual. Predestined us to the adoption. The second word I would like to talk about is the word adoption. It's another Greek word that's a little more complicated. It's huwioh-es-ia is the Greek word and it means the placing of one as if a son, meaning you take someone who is not biological or any way related to you and you confer upon that individual all the rights and privileges and you make that individual as one who's your natural-born son treated the same way, the same destiny to inherit everything that you have. And again, this was a Roman concept and I'd like to discuss it a little while here in the scriptures and during the rest of this sermon.

First, a little bit of history. This Greek word for adoption, it's actually a legal term that's employed in the New Testament to designate that an adopted individual was to receive all the rights and privileges of the estate as if they were naturally born, as if they were biologically related to the one who was giving everything away. Paul uses it five times in the New Testament.

He refers to Israel as adopted in Romans chapter 9 and verse 4, and he refers to all believers, including Gentiles, as adopted in Romans chapter 8 and verses 15 and 23, and Galatians chapter 4 and verse 5, and here, of course, we've just read in Ephesians chapter 1. A little bit of history. Roman customs and laws differed from those of the Jews. By understanding the law of the Jews, by understanding and tradition, Jewish laws and customs prompted individuals like Peter and James to use a different word, a different metaphor. That is a birth. That's something that people of a Jewish background understanding and Jewish laws could understand and could appreciate.

But the word adoption was used in the Roman Empire, and the books that I just mentioned, where Paul uses this word, were primarily written to people who were of a Greek-Gentile background.

So the word had special meaning to them. They got it because it was part of the Roman culture.

So he's writing to individuals, to Gentiles, who are familiar with the word adoption. Let me explain to you how that happened. The Gentile brethren would have understood, as soon as they read the word adoption, they would say, ah, I get it. It's a common part of Roman civilization. As a matter of fact, our existing emperor was adopted, and that's how Nero became emperor because he was adopted.

So Paul is saying this to a group of people who would have immediately recognized the metaphor between the Greek word that he's using adoption to apply to something going on in the Roman Empire and something with them as individuals. I'll give you an example. Nero was the emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD, and he was emperor during the time of most of Paul's writings, including this book that we're reading from. Ephesians was written between 59 and 60 AD. Nero is the emperor at the time that this book is being written. Now, Nero became emperor because he had been adopted by his great uncle Claudius and had become Claudius's heir and successor. They would have known this. So, again, to them reading this, they easily make the connection. And here's how it came to be. In ancient Rome, adoption was a fairly common procedure, particularly in the upper senatorial class.

Rome was ruled by a group of, a small group of, select powerful families, and every senator's duty was to produce sons to inherit the senator's estate in their family name and a very powerful political tradition. However, as they became wealthy, the same thing happened in ancient Rome as has happened in our industrialized world today. Education and wealth results in couples having fewer children. In some modern nations today, like Italy and Japan, the birth rate is so small because the families are smaller that the populations are in jeopardy of actually shrinking, of going down in population. And anywhere you look in the industrialized world, as people become wealthier, as people become more comfortable, they tend to have fewer and fewer children. And that was true in ancient Rome. The upper class family in ancient Rome had about three children, and that was by their choice. Now, daughters were a difficult thing for wealthy families because daughters had to be provided with a suitable dowry. If you were the father of a daughter, you had to give away a lot of money as a dowry when you married your daughter off to another family. Sometimes, also, a natural son died in childbirth. Some couples were childless. So therefore, if you were a wealthy senator and you needed a son, adoption was considered a very good and acceptable solution. A large sum of money was exchanged between the two parties, between the person who wanted to adopt a child would give up a lot of money to the family who was giving up a child, and the boy assumed the adoptive father's name while retaining his original name, but he took on the family name. Adoption was neither secretive nor was it considered shameful, like a marriage contract. Adoption was a way to reinforce inter-family ties and political alliances. The adoptive child was in a very privileged situation, enjoyed both their original adoptive family connections, both of them, and almost every politically famous family in Rome had adoptions. In the Roman Empire, adoption was the most common way to ascend to the throne without use of force. If the existing emperor adopted you, then because of that adoption, you pretty much were guaranteed that you were to be the next in line when the emperor died, and that happened quite often in the Roman Empire. That is how Nero became emperor because he had been adopted and his uncle died. And because he had been adopted, he inherited all rights and privileges, even though he wasn't biologically a naturally born son. So again, here's an example. The second emperor, Tiberius, was the adopted son of Augustus, and he began a general tradition that the emperor adopted successor. So in essence, adoption gave you the right to be in leadership. You didn't even need to have an army. You didn't need to have any other credentials except the fact that you had been adopted. So when adopted, the individual was not related naturally, but they legally inherited the Roman estate with all the rights and privileges to that estate. And in a similar way, God is taking mere mortal human beings and he's transforming us into becoming part of his spiritual family through a metaphor here that Paul calls adoption, and in his mind, thinking of the similarities with Roman adoption. It's God's desire to share what he has with us. So in Roman culture, if you were an adopted son or daughter, and sometimes daughters were adopted, I forgot to mention that earlier, but if you were an adopted son or daughter, four major changes occurred, and that's what I'd like to talk about today in the heart of this sermon. There was, number one, a change in family. Number two, a change in your name. Number three, a change of home. And number four, a change of responsibilities.

So let's take a look at these as we get into the heart of the sermon today. Number one, there was a change of family. In ancient Rome, even though you occasionally had contact with your birth family, and that was still allowed and encouraged, you primarily now associated with the family that had adopted you. Let's go to Matthew chapter 12 and verse 46, and see that we are part of a spiritual family that transcends our biological relationships. And those relationships are important and good, but we are to enter a different relationship because we are in a change of family. Matthew chapter 12 and verse 46.

Referring to Jesus while he was still talking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak to him, and one said to him, look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking to speak with you. So these are his literal biological, his mom and his half brothers. His brothers are there. And he answered and said to the one who told him, he said, who is my mother and who are my brothers? And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples and said, here are my mother and my brothers, for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and mother. Now, we don't cut off our biological or birth family. That's not what God intends. And I have two siblings. I spent vacation with my brother a year ago.

I had the breakfast with my sister a couple of weeks ago, so I maintain close relationship with them. I just spent some time with my stepfather. So there's not a reason to cut off our relationships with our biological or our birth family. But we are joined into a new spiritual family because the Spirit of God dwells in us. We are all brothers and sisters in him, in Christ, and brothers and sisters with each other.

And each Sabbath is a weekly family reunion. And we come here and we share our lives. We fellowship and we worship together. And that's another reason the Sabbath is so important for us. It's important for us to do that. Now, sadly, sometimes believers are rejected by their family when they come into the church. And I've known a number of those situations, people where divorce has resulted, or children would no longer talk to their mom or dad because they began keeping the Sabbath or they began attending church. Sadly, those situations sometimes happen. As Jesus said in Matthew 19 and verse 29, he said, "...and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or lands or children for my name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life." So sometimes we may lose part of a biological family who no longer wants to have anything to do with us, but God gives us a big family, a spiritual family of brothers and sisters in Christ to share our lives with in the church.

Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10. We're still on the point there's a change of family. Yes, we can still have that connection with our biological family. They should be very important to us. We should love them, but we're given a very special, unique family, a spiritual family to love as well.

Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10. Paul writes here, "...therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all." I mentioned in the sermon of the last Sabbath how Jesus Christ, as he had opportunity, as people came to him, as he saw situations, he would intervene and he would do what he could.

He didn't heal people in other parts of the world. He didn't go out of the way to empty leper colonies in Jerusalem or to heal thousands and thousands of people in some particular colony, but anytime someone would come to him, would ask him, or he ran into and would talk to, as that's called opportunity, he would do good to them. He would give them an inspiring message. He would heal them occasionally. He would even feed large numbers of people. So, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all.

But there can be a priority, especially to those who are of the household of faith. So, again, upon conversion, we're adopted into a new spiritual family, and that's called the church. It's God's family, and he's working within it. And just like we didn't get to choose our physical family members as grumpy or dysfunctional or unlovable as some of our family members may be, we also don't get to choose our church family members. God makes that decision.

We don't get to choose who we want as part of our family. I'm going to read here, verse 10, from the New International Version. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. You see, so there's a change in family.

There's a change in priority. We not only just have a biological family, which, again, is very good, we now have a spiritual family to share our lives with. And that's exactly what happened anciently in an adoption, is the person who was adopted would leave their old family and become part of and live with the new family. Still maintain contact with their blood relatives, but they became part of a new family. So that was number one.

There was a change of family. If you were adopted in the Roman Empire, number two is there was a change of name. Your name changed. In ancient Rome, you added the name of your new family to your birth name. For example, Nero. After he was adopted, he changed his name. He added Claudius, whom had been the person who adopted him. It was the family of Claudius, and his official name became Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. How would you like to write that in elementary school? I thought Gregory Thomas was tough. So he added Claudius to his official name, because names are important.

Let's go to Revelation chapter 2 and verse 16. In scriptures, names have meaning. God often changes the names of individuals after they're called. Abram became Abraham. Jesus also changed the name of some of his disciples.

God does that. He changes the names of people when they become converted, when they follow him, when they walk with him. It's very common that that happens in Scripture. So let's see what Jesus said to the brethren in the congregation here at Pergamos. And again, all of these churches all existed at the same time. This was a male route, anciently. And every one of these churches here in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 existed at the same time. They all have a different personality, a different attitude, a different perception.

So this is what is said here about this church at Pergamos, beginning chapter 2 verse 16. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them. He had previously mentioned the Nicolaitans, who unfortunately were pulling them into paganism, going back to pagan beliefs. I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes to that individual, not out of fear, not out of needing to be bribed, but that individual who says to themselves, I want to be more than I am. I want to use the incredible power of the universe that God has given me, his Holy Spirit, that same Spirit that at his command created all matter and everything that we see in this material existence that we have, that Spirit resides in my life.

How powerful, how awesome, and I want to use that to become all that I can be, to change my life, to become more like God, to develop the mind of Jesus Christ. So to him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And of course, that hidden manna is what we represent every Passover when we come here and we partake of that broken bread. Jesus Christ is the bread of life, and that bread that we will eat on the Passover represents that hidden manna.

It's Jesus Christ, the bread of life. I will give him hidden manna to eat, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name which is written which no one knows except him who receives it.

Now again, if you were part of this world, that statement about a white stone would make sense, so that's why we have to explain it a little bit. Each of us are going to receive a new personal name at the return of Jesus Christ when we are transformed from mortal to immortal. In ancient Greece, white stones, a little white stone was given to a victor in an athletic contest, and it had their name inscribed on it, and that little white stone was your ticket to the banquet, the winner's banquet, that you would be enjoying later that day. So understanding the context of what was going on at that time when he says, and I will give him a white stone, and on that stone, a new name, not his own name, his old name, but a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Let's take a look at the next chapter and see what Jesus Christ says to the congregation at Philadelphia, Revelation chapter 3 and verse 11. He says here in the next chapter, Behold, I'm coming quickly. Hold fast that which you have, that no one may take your crown.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. In other words, he's going to have a stable life. He's going to be a pillar of strength. He's going to reside in Jerusalem. And I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out from heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name. So we're going to share a name with Jesus Christ. We're going to have the family name of God. We're going to share that at that time because we're going to be part of the family of God. The indication from Scripture is that part of our name will be individual, to point out our own characteristics, who and what we are as an individual. And we will also share a new family name with Jesus Christ himself. Again, names have meanings. Do you know what the meaning of your name is? We have a lot of brethren here who have biblical names, right? We have Andrews, and we have Josephs, and we have Johns. We have a lot of individuals here who have names that are directly out of Scriptures. My wife and I had a child that we named Warrior. Her name means Warrior in Celtic.

And as a teenager, she indeed was a warrior. So actually, it's my daughter Kelly. She's there smiling at me. Kelly means Warrior in Celtic, and I wanted to have a good Welsh name like Gwendolyn.

But no, my wife wanted to have a different name. So for a while we were leaning on Julie. She was almost a Julie, and then near the end we decided to call her Kelly. And we're glad we did because she is a Kelly. She fulfills the role of Kelly in so many ways with her energy and dynamic personality. But all of our names have meaning. My name, Gregory, means Vigilant. And your name, I'm sure, has. If you don't know what it is, you may want to Google your name, and you'll find a definition of what your name originally meant. Now, some of us have names that we'll probably be very happy to give up at that time and look forward to having a new name, and that's okay. My point is, is that what God has intended for us is a new name, and that is part of the family name that Jesus Christ himself will have that we will have the privilege of sharing. All right, number three, a change in home. In ancient Rome, the underage adopted person moved in with their new family into the new family home to live. And we presently live in earthly tents. That's our physical bodies, that age, that degrade and eventually expire. But spiritually, we're new creatures.

And that's what we look forward to. We look forward to the spiritual. Physically, we're trapped within the limitations of our present home. That is our body. But we look forward to something much better than the physical bodies that we have. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 1. We actually covered this in our Bible studies just a few months back here. We're going through 2 Corinthians, and we covered this. And it's an interesting scripture because many people misuse it in order to try to prove that Paul was saying he was going to go to heaven, which Paul isn't saying that here. But you have to obviously look at it closely and not read it with an agenda. But here's what it says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 1. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

So Paul is saying, even though we have this physical body, we are encouraged by knowing that in the heavens God is building a new house for us. Verse 2. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. So the habitation we have is coming from heaven. Indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. We don't want to be vulnerable. We don't want to be exposed. We shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, not because we want to be physical, carnal, and mortal, and struggling with our own limitations, but that's unfortunately the way it is when you're mortal. But further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. We want our mortal bodies to be swallowed up by eternal life, by something better, something that lasts. Verse 5.

Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

See, he's given us the Spirit of God as a down payment of the full promise that he fully intends to give us when Jesus Christ returns. And that Spirit, that's a guarantee, engenders within us being a new creature in Christ, having a spiritual mindset. Verse 6. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in this body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. So this is a scripture in which Paul says that he longs for the time when this earthly tent that he had will expire, and when he will have eternal life, he will be living in a building from God. Now let's go to John chapter 14 and verse 2 and make sure that we thoroughly understand what Paul is saying here. Because again, many people use the scripture that I just read in an attempt to prove that one goes to heaven when they die. But here's what Jesus said, John chapter 14 beginning in verse 2. He said, in my father's house, notice, remember Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, that building from God. For in my father's house are many mansions, there's many rooms, there's many buildings, there's many houses. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus was saying, I'm leaving this earth, I'm going to ascend to the heaven, and I'm going to be in heaven for a period of time, and I'm going there to prepare a place for you. Let's see what this place is. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. So this building from God is in the heavens, and it will come along to earth with Jesus Christ, and he will give us the rewards of our homes, the cities we will dwell in, and the other great experiences of joy at that time when he comes back to the earth. So this building from God in the heavens will come to earth along with Jesus Christ. We will receive it directly from him on the earth and not go to heaven ourselves. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 51. Again, we're still talking about a change in home, just like the ancient Romans. If you were adopted, you moved in with a new family, a new home. You left your old home, and you became a member of a new home. And we're longing for the time when we leave and discard these physical tents that we have, the limitations of this physical life, and we become spiritual. And the mortal is changed in the immortal. Let's see how Paul puts it here. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in the moment. In the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet represented by the Feast of Trumpets itself. One reason we celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when the corruptible is put on incorruption, and the mortal is put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass. The saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Remember that white stone, what it represented. I will give you a white stone, just like those victorious athletes in ancient Greece who won their race.

And that white stone was your ticket to the banquet later on.

Oh death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory? So Paul is mentioning here that we're going to have a change in home. We're going to enter a new dimension of existence with spiritual bodies. We'll never age. We'll never grow tired. We'll never be hungry. We'll never become sick. We'll never be depressed or discouraged. We'll never be lonely. We'll live in existence with unlimited energy and a fervent purpose, a reason to exist that excites us and ongoing fulfillment for all eternity. That's what God has planned when we make that change in the home where we live. The fourth thing that would occur to someone when they became adopted would be a change in responsibilities. A change in responsibilities. In ancient Rome, after adoption, you were given a tutor to educate and prepare you for the future. Someone to guide and direct you, just like God has given us the gift of his Holy Spirit. A change in your family and your family name and a change in where you lived naturally resulted in you inheriting new responsibilities. You, after you were adopted, were now heir to the entire Roman estate with all of the rights and privileges, the same as if you had been born a natural biological son of the person who owned that estate. As you grew older, you would grow and learn. You would assume a role in the military. That was part of your learning process. And we, indeed, are Christian soldiers in many ways. Perhaps you would go to the Senate to prepare you for leadership, to inherit the family estate or name. My point is that you would go to ever increasing levels of education and experiences to prepare you to inherit everything from that estate.

2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 11. If you'll turn there with me. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 11. Paul writes, finally, brethren, farewell, become complete. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. So he tells him, become complete. I'm going to read this in another translation. The new international version says finally, brothers, goodbye. Aim for perfection. Listen to my appeal. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Now this word that in the New King James version is translated complete and in the new international version is translated perfection is ketartizo.

Ketartizo and it means to complete thoroughly, to repair something, to bring something together, to restore it, to make it whole. That's what the word means in the original Greek. Jesus himself said in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 48. He said, therefore, you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Now that's a pretty high standard. That's a pretty high value and we know that spiritual growth is a process that won't be completed until we are literally changed from mortal to immortal. But it's still a goal. It is still a serious responsibility that's given to us.

And it's a lot easier if we don't do it out of fear of God. If we don't do it because we have to be motivated through bribery or incentives to do things, it's really much easier to do when we come to the point in life that I do it because I want to. It makes me a better human being. It helps me to draw closer to God. It helps me to have deeper, richer relationships with my spouse, with my children, with my co-workers, with my neighbors, with my church brethren. It helps me to become more like God. And I do it because I want to do it, not because I fear the consequences of not doing it. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5.

Take a look at the example of Jesus Christ here.

After all, he is our role model. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider robbery to be equal with God. That's really a very poor translation. Something like the new international version, it's much better. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. In other words, he was there with God. He was sharing eternity with God. But when the time came where you need to volunteer to die for the sins of the world, Jesus didn't say, I won't go! I'm not going to give this up! No, it said, he said, I'll do it. I volunteer. I willingly become the Lamb of God. I willingly shed myself of all this glory that I have in the Godhead and become a mere human being and walk on earth and live a perfect life and shed my blood so all of them can have an opportunity to be your spiritual children. So, Father, the thing that you've dreamed about for millennia has the opportunity to come true, and I'll do it willingly. I'll do it voluntarily. That's what it means. In the cryptic phrase translated in the New King, James did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. He didn't shed the spotlight on himself. Taking the form of a bond servant, he took the form of a servant, not as a master, not as a king. He'll come to earth the second time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but the first time he came as a humble servant. And coming in the likeness of a man and being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself. He was humble, incredible quality. He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. So these are some of the things that pretty high standards help us to understand what it means to be perfect. He wasn't out for himself. It wasn't all about Jesus. He had the attitude of a servant. It says he was humble. It says he was obedient. These are all wonderful qualities that help us to define that high value of perfection, which is something that we should be growing towards and striving towards. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So if we want to define perfection, here are some of the ways that we can do it. He accepted the greatest demotion ever and he didn't complain. He didn't play the part of a martyr. He did it without complaining. He came to serve others. He was first and foremost a servant. He had the mindset, the attitude of a servant. He humbled himself.

He was obedient to God's law and God's way of life to the point where he was even willing to die for what he believed in. Now, how would we react if our choice was the truth or death?

If our choice was the truth or a 40-year prison sentence, which for many of us at our present ages would be death, I might add, but how would we react if we had to make those kinds of choices?

So what other qualities did Jesus have that help us to understand this phrase perfection? Luke chapter 4 verse 1, then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Is every part of our being being Spirit-led? Our hearts, our minds, every pore in our body is all of us. It's our heart and core and everything about us being led by the Spirit of God.

1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 21, here's what Peter said, For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps, who committed no sin. He set a perfect example for us, and he grew in knowledge as he grew and learned new experiences. Thankfully, he never sinned. He was our perfect Savior, the complete and perfect Lamb of God, who knew no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, when he was that were reviled, means verbally abused. When he was verbally abused, did not revile in return when he suffered. When we're verbally abused, how do we respond to people? He did not threaten, but he committed himself to him, who judges righteously. He just left things in the Father's hands, and that's a great perception to have on life. We get so bent out of shape and mentally torqued and all upset over little things. What we really need to learn to just say, Father, here's the problem. Here's what I'm struggling with. I'm going to leave this in your hands. In faith and trust, I know that you're going to work it out to my benefit. So I'm going to stop worrying about it. I'm going to stop being anxious. I'm going to stop making mountains out of molehills, and I'm just going to turn it over to you and ask for your intervention, and ask for you to be there for me. Yeah, these are very high standards and values, but they are part of our responsibilities now that we have been adopted into God's family. So to conclude the sermon today, I want to go back to the book of Ephesians. If you'll turn back to chapter one, that's where we started, and to remind ourselves of God's promises and the destiny He has planned for each and every one of us. Earlier, we stopped at verse six. I would like to pick it up here at verse seven, Ephesians chapter one and verse seven, as we conclude the sermon today. Ephesians chapter one and verse seven. It says, in Him, that's Christ, we have redemption through His blood. And again, we will renew our Passover covenant with God when we drink that little vial that has the wine in it just a few weeks from now that represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ's redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

So that we have redemption because we're just so smart, because we know it all, because we have some special physical lineage, or because of our income level. Are we saved because of our works, because we're just so righteous and we've done so many things well? Absolutely not! That means nothing.

We have redemption because of God's rich grace. That's His undeserved favor towards us, even though we don't deserve it. And even though we don't get what we deserve out of God's love and His grace, He says, I want you to be part of my family. I want to welcome you into eternity. Verse eight, What's the mystery of His will? We've been talking about that today. That is God's desire to adopt us into the spiritual family of God, the take beings who are weak, immortal, and corruptible. And if you don't think you're corruptible, just skip taking a shower for a month and you'll find out how corruptible you really are, and mortal, and weak, and take these creatures that were part of the creation and through His great love and His grace to literally adopt them and transform them into His literal family, the family of God. That's the mystery of His will. Most people don't get it. They don't understand it. According to the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, other translations instead of saying He purposed in Himself, planned to do through Christ. So again, why is God doing this? Because He made a mistake? Because He regrets calling us? Absolutely not.

According to the good pleasure that He purposed in Himself long ago, we read earlier before the foundation of the world, He said, I want to expand my family. I want to have children. I want to take beings and put them through a process that helps them to develop character and helps them to get to the point where I literally can adopt them and take something that was merely physical and mortal and carnal and transform them into something that is immortal, incorruptible, and eternal.

And that can be called my child. That's what He's trying to do here. Verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on the earth in Him. So, as we would say in our modern terms, it says here the fullness of times, we would say in the modern terms, at the end of the day, oh, when all is said and done, He wants to gather everything in the one under the authority and under the direction and love of Jesus Christ, everything in the universe.

So, we have redemption through the blood of Christ, and we will be reminding ourselves of that as we share the Passover wine together in just a few weeks. Again, I want to emphasize it's only possible because of God's grace and His long-term purpose and desire to expand His family. Let's now go to verse 11. Read just a few more verses. Verse 11, in Him also we have obtained an inheritance. We've been adopted. We don't deserve that inheritance. We're not spiritual, but because of His grace and His great love, we've obtained an inheritance being predestined, meaning long ago God decided beforehand, according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. God does not make mistakes.

Albert Einstein once said, God does not play dice. When God called you, He was not playing dice. Oh, I don't know if they're going to make it or not. Let me roll the dice. Whoa! Snake eyes!

Oh, snake eyes! No, that's not how God operates. It says, who works all things according to the counsel of His will. You are exactly what God expected. Nothing we do surprises Him. We may disappoint Him at times, but nothing a human being can do surprises God. Verse 12, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted. That's called belief. After you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. It's God's pleasure to give us that guarantee. God will never go back on His guarantee. Now, we have to do our part. It's possible for us to turn around and go the wrong way, but from God's perspective, He will never forsake us. He's given us His Spirit. That was His plan from the very beginning, and in God's mind, our salvation is a done deal. Do we understand how much He loves us? Who is the guarantee of our salvation, that's our down payment, until the redemption of the purchased possession. We are purchased because we were bought by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He now owns us. And until that time comes when He returns to earth, we are still His purchased possession, and we should be living lives that give to Him the praise of His glory. What Paul's saying here is that long before our birth, we were part of destiny. God had a special purpose for our eventual birth and existence, and none of that was through the rolling of dice. None of that was done willy-nilly, haphazard at the spur of the moment. God is a planner.

He's fulfilling His destiny in you right now. Why? Because He loves you with a profound love that's beyond description in limited human words, in limited human terms.

Christ is sharing His spiritual inheritance with us for all eternity. That's the plan.

And along with our own personal evaluations this year, which are important, though self-reflection, and we've given some sermons on that, I think it's also important to balance that out to appreciate and think about God's love for us and His plans for our future.

He's waited a long time patiently to get us to where we are today. Let's continue the journey, and let's realize the wonderful gift that God has given us and what He holds before us, that down payment that He's already given us, and allow that to motivate us towards greater growth in developing the mind of Jesus Christ. Have a wonderful Sabbath day.