READ | SERMON NOTES
Redeemed for His Glory
The redemptive work of God reflects His glory and involves all persons in the Holy Trinity.
• Chosen by the Father to be children of God (v3-6) – our identity
• Redeemed by Jesus for holy witness (v7-12) – our purpose
• Sealed by the Holy Spirit (v13-14) – our guarantee
Why does God want us to glorify Him?
- Praise is not a one-sided affair. “We delight to praise what we enjoy…the delight is incomplete till it is expressed (to each other).” C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
- When we praise God, we are responding to God’s overflowing grace. Our reciprocal praise brings our relationship with God to its fullness and anchors our hearts to God.
- This extends beyond worship songs and includes every dimension of our lives such as our relationships, work and recreation.
How God’s blessings S.E.E.P out of us
1. Sin
o An ongoing unhealthy habit that we are unable to break
o A memory of unresolved sins that return to shame us
These sinful attachments make us lose alignment with God’s grace in our lives.
2. Events that involve loss
o Related to performance failures e.g. performance appraisals, report cards
o Death, divorce, change or a painful disease that we or our loved ones are going through
These events make us feel lousy and if we cling on to them, hopelessness is allowed to set in. This pulls us away from focusing on God and His promises.
3. Exhaustion
Given the increasing fast pace of life and high expectations to perform, no one is spared from the challenge of exhaustion. When life becomes overwhelming, we feel defeated and disconnected. Our tank becomes too empty to follow God, and it becomes hard to trust Him.
Physical, emotional or mental burnout also happens when we cannot say ‘no’ to ourselves such as:
- we toy with the idea that we are superhumans and have difficulty in saying ‘no’
- we have divided hearts and desire the false freedom of more choices
– “by barraging ourselves with so many choices, we get so decision-fatigued that we’re unable to choose anything well…we’re extremely susceptible to letting other people make our decisions for us.” Justin Whitmel Earley, The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction
4. People who are toxic
Emotionally unhealthy relationships can drain us. Without a strong circle of friends and family to guide and affirm, challenges unsettle us more than they should.
Means of Grace
We need spiritual habits as the means of grace for constant alignment of our lives with God’s grace.
“Our practice of the means of grace over time allows grace to wear grooves into our souls…The means of grace work on us (the same way) practising free throws works on a basketball player…(he) becomes a better free-throw shooter through regular practice…gets ingrained into his muscle memory.” Andrew Thompson, The Means of Grace
Habits to Embrace: Consider habits that enable us to embrace God more fully each day
“In the habits of embrace, we try to train our bodies and our hearts to love God as he actually is and to turn to our neighbor as we were made to do.” Habits to Embrace – Justin Whitmel Earley
E.g. studying scripture and allowing God’s Word to shape our souls, attending a small group, or committing to a ‘holy hour’ of conversation with a Christian friend on a regular basis which involves a rhythm of ECA: Encouragement, Confession and Accountability.
Habits to Resist
“When we practice resistance, we acknowledge that evil and suffering are very real…Should we do nothing, we will be taught to love the very things that tear us apart.” (Justin Whitmel Earley)
- Isolation – withdrawal from the godly community that God has surrounded us with to sustain us
- Distraction – activities that drown out God’s gentle voice
- Shame – living with a sense of condemnation instead of a life of freedom
Consider Sabbath-keeping as an embrace and a resistance
o Pause to be still before God
o Ponder on God’s word
o Pray for others around us
As a habit of holy embrace
o Embracing God’s joy through play
o Embracing God’s love through family
o Embracing God’s presence through prayer
As a habit of holy resistance
o Resisting the tyranny of productivity and the illusion of omnipresence
o Resisting relational neglect
We must resist allowing work or other activities to crowd out our relationship with God and people.
God’s Word tells us that we are “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people”. (Eph 1:13-14 NSRVue)
o Seal – a mark of God’s ownership, authority, protection and identity
o Pledge – downpayment; promise, a guarantee from God
We are chosen by the Father, redeemed by Jesus and with a future guaranteed by the seal of the Holy Spirit. As such, let us consider how we can daily align to God’s grace.
Unless we live from God’s grace, we can’t live for God’s glory.
(Sermon notes by Stella Chiam)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Study Scripture
a. What repeated phrases or ideas stand out to you in this passage (Ephesians 1:3-14)?
b. How does Paul describe the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit?
c. How does this passage shape your understanding of God’s glory? - Recall Sermon
a. Which part of the Triune work (Father, Son, Spirit) felt most personally meaningful?
b. How did the idea of “habits to embrace” and “habits to resist” resonate with you? - Relate Personally
a. Recall the various ways God’s purpose S.E.E.P. out of us. Share about an area of your life where you notice God’s purpose SEEP-ing out of you.
b. How is your current season of life shaped by your current habits?
i. Which spiritual habit currently helps you live “to the praise of His glory”?
ii. Which habit or pattern in your life tends to pull you away from living in grace? - Commit to Action
a. What is one habit of grace you want to embrace this week?
b. What is one habit you sense God inviting you to resist or release?
c. Who can walk with you or encourage you in this commitment to live more fully for God’s glory?
