Ephesians 1:3-14
July 14, 2024
In the middle of the summer it is always strange to drive by our elementary schools and to see them empty, with no cars in the parking lot and no children running around on the playground or ballfields. But I know in a few months that will change, and whenever I see children playing games during recess at school, I am always reminded of my school days when we would pick teams for different games. Usually the two guys who were the fastest runners or the best kickers would be captains and they would each take turns picking people for their team. As this process went on it was never fun if you were picked near the end, as it meant that most people did not think you were very good, and if you were the last one picked, well you really weren’t picked at all as the last team to pick just ended up with you.
We all like to be chosen, whether it’s a game at school, a promotion at work, or an award from a business or a community organization. In this world, being chosen says something about who we are. It gives us a sense of identity, of belonging, and in many ways it means you are valued. But if we are left out, it suggests that we may not measure up, we’re not needed, or we’re just not good enough. In our society today, where a person’s value is based on worldly standards, it’s easy to feel like you don’t belong. If you don’t wear the right clothes, if you’re not smart, if you’re not beautiful or handsome, then you don’t measure up and you don’t belong.
And if we apply that same system of determining our value to God, then we will see that we certainly do not measure up to His standards and we definitely do not deserve to be called His children. When we look at God’s Word, namely His 10 Commandments, we will easily see that we have often failed to follow them. Each of us has plenty of moments when we failed to live as God created us to live. We sin every day and I’m sure we all have sins that we are ashamed of, even sins we have never admitted to anyone. Our sins remind us that we fall far short of God’s standards, we’re not good enough to even be in His presence, let along be chosen by Him.
But in our second lesson for today from Ephesians 1, notice who is doing the action in the following sentences: “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world…he predestined us for adoption…he has blessed us…he lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:4,5,6,8). Notice that in each of these verses, it is God who is doing the action. He is doing the choosing. He is deciding who belongs to him. And on what basis is He doing the choosing? It is certainly not based on our intelligence, our appearance, our actions, or how well we have followed His Word, because all of us have sinned and fall short of His standards. It is God who chooses us, we do not choose Him. But why are we chosen? There is only one reason. It is based on God’s love for us, on the merits of Jesus and what He did for us.
In Jesus – through our faith in His life, death, and resurrection – God loves us and chooses us. God is the captain, because He is the best, the ruler of all, and He chose each one of us first before the foundation of the world to be part of His family. No one is last, no one just ended up as part of His family, we were all chosen. And when you look at the Bible you will see story after story where God picked people to do some great things for Him, not because they were worthy, not because they were strong or smart, but simply because He loved them.
For example, look at David, a small scrawny shepherd boy who against all odds killed the mighty Goliath and would become a powerful king of Israel, but who would also kill a man in order to steal that man’s wife. And yet, God still chose him, knowing what David would do. Look at Paul, the writer of our second lesson. At one time he was a proud persecutor of Christians, no one would have expected him to be a follower of Jesus knowing that he had killed Christians, but God chose him, knowing what he had done, to be an apostle to the world. And look at the 12 disciples – fishermen, a tax collector, one who would eventually betray Jesus, they were not exactly great pillars of society. Still, Jesus picked them to go out into the world, armed with only His authority, to do great things. And they did, not because they were great people, but because they belonged to Him.
I’m sure many of you have seen the movie Toy Story. The movie centers on a group of toys that belong to a young boy named Andy. And of all his toys, Andy’s favorite is a cowboy named Woody. How do we know this? Because Andy has written his name on the bottom of Woody’s foot. While it was a mark of ownership, it is also a sign of Andy’s love for Woody. Later in the movie, the new toy, Buzz Lightyear, is also marked on his foot with Andy’s name, showing that Andy loves Buzz, as well. And that Buzz, too, belongs to Andy.
In the same way, we have been marked by God in our Baptism, having been claimed by Him. But as more than just a possession, God’s mark also shows His love for us in Jesus. At our Baptism we were marked with the sign of the cross on our forehead and on our heart, and water was applied to us in the name of our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to show that we belong to Him as His children.
However, that doesn’t mean life will be easy for us. While we are children of God, chosen by Him, living in a sinful world means we will still experience suffering, we will still have difficulties and hardships, we will still have disappointments, sadness, and sorrow. But we will not experience those things alone. We have a God who has experienced all of those things, so He understands, and His love for us is so great, so fierce, so strong, that there is nothing that can separate us from Him.
There is an old story of a man who dies and goes to heaven. And as he stands at the gates of heaven, he is told by the gate keeper, “You need 100 points to get into heaven. So tell me all of the good things you’ve done in your life and I will give you a certain number of points for each of them. When you reach 100 points you can come in.”
“OK,” said the man, “Let’s see, I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, not even in my heart.” “That’s wonderful,” said the gate keeper, “that’s worth 3 points.” The man is a little shocked as he thinks, “Being a faithful husband is only worth 3 points?” But he goes on saying, “I attended church all my life and I supported my church with my time, talents, and financial offerings on a regular basis.” “Excellent,” said the gate keeper, “that’s certainly worth a point.” “One point?” says the man out loud, but he continues. “How about the fact that I raised 4 children, taught them about Jesus, took them to worship each week, and I even took them to the local homeless shelter on Thanksgiving for several years where we served food to the homeless. Today they are married and they are raising their children in the church.” “Fantastic,” said the gate keeper, “that’s definitely worth 2 points.” “Two points!” shouted the man, “At this rate I’ll never make it into heaven except by the grace of God.” The gate keeper then hugged the man and said, “That’s correct, you got it – 100 points. Come on in.”
Our relationship with God is not based on our good works, our intelligence, our economic standing, or even on our ability to make good choices. Rather, it is based solely on Jesus and His love for us. It is by God’s choice from eternity that you are His child, it is by God’s choice that the Holy Spirit brought you to faith, and it is by God’s choice that you live your life as a faithful man, woman, husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, employee, retiree, student, or citizen. And as God sent Jesus into the world to love the world, Jesus now sends us out to do the same so that all will know that God has chosen them to be His children. But as we walk out of our church today, remember that Jesus doesn’t send us out alone. First, He offers us His body and blood in bread and wine as a sign of His love to forgive our sins and to strengthen our faith. Second, He gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us to make good choices and to give Him all the praise and glory. God chose you and He is counting on you to be a blessing to others.
