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 put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you 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 (Ephesians 1:11-14). When Pastor Anthony reflected on the doctrine of predestination, he mentioned that both John Calvin and the Canons of Dort suggested that this teaching be reserved for those who have some maturity of faith. Did you wonder why that advice has been given? Permit me to offer two reasons. A growing faith develops humility in which we begin to accept things that we do not understand. Too often, we have taken this doctrine into places that were not intended; we lacked humility. Along with that, as we mature in Christian discipleship, we discover that God is indeed good. We learn to trust that God's purposes are good, even when they are difficult, even when we do not understand how they are good. And then, also this, this teaching, especially as it appears here in Ephesians 1, has one central goal: to reassure Christians that they are in, they have made the cut, members they are. Many Christians, even older mature Christians, are afraid to die because they fear God's disapproval. Their memories are filled with their own misdeeds. Their sins loom large. Can we be sure that God will allow us into heaven? This doctrine is intended to comfort and reassure. Thus, yesterday I mentioned that the covenant words God once used exclusively for his relationship with Israel, he now uses to claim the church as his own. We are God's possession. Period! But we ask, "What did I do to make God call me his own?" This teaching tells us that we start from the wrong place. We begin with ourselves. But we need to start with God. We need to see that we are being swept into the great reconciling work of God. Yes, there is a personal dimension, God loves each of us like a parent loves a child. But there is always more, as Jesus put it, "God so loved the world that…" (John 3:16). And so, Paul writes, "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" (11). The whole passage is full of references to God's will, good pleasure, purpose, and to the plan in which these have been expressed. Paul insists forcefully that our becoming members of God's new community was due neither to chance nor to our choice, but to God's own sovereign will and pleasure. So do not be afraid. The assurance that God is active and personally involved in our lives is given through the Holy Spirit, who is—a promise, a seal, and a guarantee. First, he is 'the Spirit of the promise' because God promised through the prophets (Ezekeil 36:27; Joel 2:28-29) and through Jesus to send him (John 16:13; Acts 1:4-8). He is poured out upon all believers (Galatians 3:14). Since He moves us towards obedience, any desire on our part to walk faithfully with God is the movement of the Spirit. Secondly, the Holy Spirit is God's seal. A seal is a mark of ownership and of authenticity. Cattle were branded with a seal by their owners. But such seals were external, while God's is in the heart. He put his Spirit within us to mark us as his own. When we do not have words for prayer, he prays for us. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is God's pledge to bring us safely to our final inheritance. As God's guarantee, the Spirit is the first instalment or down payment, just as a deposit on a house is the first installment of the price. In giving him to us, God is not just promising us our final inheritance but giving us a foretaste of it, which however, is only a small fraction of the future endowment. Our future is secure. God has been working on it from the very beginning. It is grand; it is good; it is guaranteed. It is shalom. Do not be afraid. We cannot undue the work of God. And so, we declare with Paul, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:17-21).

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