Worship God in Christ

 Ephesians 1:3-14

For today’s devotion I want to give you a summary of Sunday’s exposition. I want to encourage you to worship this whole week based on the truths revealed in Ephesians 1:3-14. Remember our main proposition is:

God is worthy to be praised because of:
1. Who He is 
and
2. What He has done for His Children in Christ

Our three main points were…
1. God’s glory in Christ
2. God's Glory Revealed in Christ
3. To the Praise of God’s Glory

Location of God’s Glory

We saw that the spiritual realm where God’s glory is located is in heavenly places in Christ (1:3). God is working out His sovereign plan that He ordained before the foundation of the world, “In Christ” (1:4).

The phrases In Christ, In Him, In love, in the Beloved, In all wisdom and insight, and In whom were used to spotlight the realm of Christ’s authority and power. The key verse for the idea of Christ’s reign is Ephesians 1:10. This is a summary of everything God purposed in Christ. God’s aim is to establish an administration, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ. All things in heaven and all things on earth, God aims to establish, in His Son.

God is putting all things under Christ and in His realm. God is working in heaven and earth to place new citizens in His Kingdom. Making them co-heirs with Him while also marking for condemnation those who will be judged by Him in the end.

They will become His footstool.

The primary focus of 1:3-14 is on the chosen ones set apart in Christ. This picture should help our understanding.

Revelation of God’s Glory

Second, we saw “Who God is” and “What God has done” in Christ. This is the revelation of God’s glory in Christ toward us. It is here that we saw that God’s glory was revealed in the working of the Trinity. Remember the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all members of the Trinity. They are equal but distinct persons, but they are ONE God.

Ephesians 1:4-6 was focused on God the Father’s role. Ephesians 1:7-12 was focused on the Son’s role. Ephesians 1:13-14 was focused on the Spirit’s role. Yet, all were active in all phases of God’s plan.
God was revealed as acting according to the kind intention of His will (5, 8). He was revealed as giving from the riches of His grace (7). He was revealed as acting according to His sovereign purpose.

God is kind. God is gracious. God is sovereign.

The glory of God was also revealed in all the spiritual blessings given to us in Christ. Not to oversimplify, but the salvation of sinners is what the spiritual blessings are!

• God chose us (sinners) in Christ (4)
• God predestined us to adoption in Christ (5)
• God redeemed us in Christ (7)
• God forgave us in Christ (7)
• God made known to us the mystery in Christ (9)
• God gave us an inheritance in Christ (11)
• God sealed us with the Holy Spirit in Christ (12)
• God saved us through faith in Christ (13)





Praise of God’s Glory

Finally, we saw that knowing who God is and all that He has done in Christ is to the praise of His glory! God has acted to save people from their sin and make us His possession, for HIS glory. He is worthy of WORSHIP. He is worthy of PRAISE.  

We worshipped together yesterday as we proclaimed His great worth in prayer, preaching, and singing. Today, YOU can worship Him by obeying Him in your life. God is sovereign over where you are. He has ordained for you to show Him off to the world. I pray today you meditate and remember the glory of God revealed in Christ toward you. I pray today that you all will serve Jesus with the grace and power He provides His own.




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