Eph 1:3-14 – The doctrine of election – sermon notes

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Following are my sermon notes on the doctrine of election.  This was preached at Holy Trinity Church, Norwich, in April 2006.  The text was Eph 1:3-14.

We have been considering a number of aspects of the doctrine of salvation:

  • Creation – God made us to glorify him and enjoy him for ever.
  • The Fall – through our own disobedience we have become alienated from our Maker.
  • Inability – we are powerless to save ourselves.
  • Redemption – the price has been paid.
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Justification

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‘To justify’ is a legal term meaning ‘to acquit’, ‘to declare righteous.’ It is the opposite of ‘to condemn’.

Importance

According to the Puritan Thomas Watson, ‘justification is the very hinge and pillar of Christianity. An error about justification is dangerous, like a defect in a foundation. Justification by Christ is a spring of the water of life. To have the poison of corrupt doctrine cast into this spring is damnable.’

J.I. Packer writes that ‘in Scripture, God is ‘the Judge of all the earth’, (Ge 18:25) and his dealings with men are constantly described in forensic terms.…

The Ministry of the Word

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In a day when word-based ministries are often viewed with suspicion, it is right to be reminded of emphases of the New Testament.  Peter Adam has suggested that ‘the broad range of “ministry of the Word” verbs in the New Testament may be categorised as follows:-…

Pastors, not priests

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The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches see their clergy as priests, especially in relation to their role at the eucharist.  The Council of Trent affirmed that the mass was a sacrifice offered to God, and the human priest who offered it represented Christ and his sacrifice of himself.  The Second Vatican Council endorsed this view, stating that priests are given power to offer sacrifice.

The word hiereus’ (sacrificing priest) occurs many times in the NT, with reference to pagan priests, Acts 14:13, to the Jewish priesthood, and to Christ, our great High Priest, Heb 10:12. …

Two Cheers for the Charismatic Movement

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For some people, the charismatic way is the best way, the biblical way, God’s way for us today.  They want all Christians to be charismatic Christians; they want all churches to be charismatic churches.  This is the stance of John Leach, for example, in his delightful book entitled, The Spirit Comes (as part of the package), (Marshall Pickering, 2001).  Some might think that such people have gone too far.  Actually, I don’t think they go far enough, and here’s why.…

Myths and stories

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As Philip Sampson points out in his book Six Modern Myths Challenging Christian Faith, all societies have their stories and myths. The stories of ancient Greece, such as the story of Hercules, were myths or legends which were not intended to be taken literally. They paint pictures of heroes and villains, of good and evil, of creation and destruction, and all with the feel of a bygone age.  The Bible has sometimes been read in this way.…

The Biblical idea of revival

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Many books have been written on the subject of revival.  Most of these are historical and biographical studies.  Few attempt to discuss the biblical and theological aspects.  Some years ago, I attempted to distil from my reading and from my study of Scripture some account of the theology of revival.  What follows is the first instalment.

1.  Introduction

Among the many changes which we experience or observe, three different patterns may be discerned.  There are, first, sporadic  changes, during which events occur in an apparently random way. …

Why does God bother with the church?

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I like a couple of illustrations that Philip Yancey uses to  explore what God might think of the church, with all its imperfections:-

The composer Igor Stravinsky once wrote a new piece that contained a difficult violin passage.  After several weeks of rehearsal the solo violinist came to Stravinksy and said that he could not play it.  He had given it his best effort but found the passage too difficult, even unplayable.  Stravinsky replied, “I understand that. 
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Children’s Letters to God

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A bit of light relief.  Here are a few of my favourites from Children’s Letters to God:-

Dear God…

‘I would like all the bad things to stop.’
‘My father is mean.  Please get him not to be.  But don’t hurt him.’
‘Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones why don’t you just keep the ones you’ve got now?’
‘Please send me a pony.  I never asked for anything before.  You can look it up.’…