July
16, 2006am God Says I Do
To You! Ephesians 1:3-14
A marriage conceived in heaven and confirmed on earth. God’s Proposal.
By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the
Can you remember the time that you proposed to your wife? Can you remember the experience of the intimate joy you shared together as husband and wife? Can you remember the time you shared your life with the Lord of the universe? He remembers you and desires to give you a blessed relationship with Him. Here is his proposal.
Scripture
Text: Ephesians 1:3 How
we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4 Long
ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be
holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has
always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through
Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
6 So
we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we
belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness that
he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are
forgiven. 8He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom
and understanding.
9 God’s
secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ,
designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10And this is his
plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of
Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore,
because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for
he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long
ago. 12 God’s purpose was that we who were the first to
trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. 13 And now
you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you
believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit,
whom he promised long ago. 14The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he
will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own
people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
· He blessed us: He has made us happy. First of all He has approved us and blessed us. He spoke a good word and had a good thought toward us. God made the connection when He created us and when He gave his one and only Son.
· He chose us. God picked you. He looked you over. He knew all of the good, bad, and ugly about your life, but He chose you anyway. He wants you to be his.
·
He destined us.
He set the date for us to become his beloved.
He gave us the opportunity to respond.
He gave us the faith to believe. He
look forward to the day that you give yourself to Him.
· He redeemed us. He paid for us. He paid for the wedding. He has lavished His riches on us. This is the dowry. The dowry was the death of his Son. He has so much kindness that He gave it to you.
·
He has made known to us the
mystery/secret of His will. He
made to us who he is and his intentions toward us.
His intimacy to you and me is unmatched.
·
He has plans for us.
He is creating a place for us. He
has a plan for you and Him to go through this life together.
A harmony of divine design that brings him and glory and you the
blessings.
·
He has given us the seal of
His Spirit. He has given
us His ring of love. This is God’s
guarantee that He will keep his promise. This
is his downpayment on all that He promises to give to you who say yes to him.
·
He has pledged to us.
God gives his vow to you. He
will not forsake us or forget us. He
has decided to give his love to us. Sometimes
we forget. Sometimes we fail and
sin. Sometimes people change their
minds, but God does not.
·
He asks us to respond to
his love for us. Will you be
His? Will you accept his proposal?