The Beloved Children of God: Sanctified, Secured, and Assured

1
The Beloved Children of GodSanctified, Secured,
and Assured

• Ephesians 51-10
• Ryan Habbena
• Twin City Fellowship, August 26 2007

2
Imitators of God

•  Ephesians 51-2
• Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
  children  and walk in love, just as Christ also
  loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering
  and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

3
How We are to Imitate God

• Be Speakers of the Truth (424)
• Be Angry yet Do Not Sin (425)
• Be Forgiving and Gracious (432)
• Walk in Love (52)

4
Living as Saints

• Ephesians 53-4
• But immorality or any impurity or greed must not
  even be named among you, as is proper among
  saints and there must be no filthiness and silly
  talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting,
  but rather giving of thanks.

5
The Importance of Thanksgiving

• Colossians 315-17
• Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to
  which indeed you were called in one body and be
  thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell
  within you, with all wisdom teaching and
  admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in
  your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or
  deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
  giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

6
Immoral, Impure, Idolatrous No Inheritance

• Ephesians 5 5-6
• For this you know with certainty, that no
  immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is
  an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of
  Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty
  words, for because of these things the wrath of
  God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

7
Walking as Children of the Light

• Ephesians 57-10
• Therefore do not be partakers with them for you
  were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in
  the Lord walk as children of Light (for the
  fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and
  righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is
  pleasing to the Lord.

8
Three Dynamics of Biblical Exhortation

• Call to Action Be Imitators of God, Walk as
  Children of the Light (51,8)
• Stern Warning Know with Certainty no Immoral
  Person with Inherit the Kingdom (55-6)
• Assurance Now you are Beloved Children of God,
  and Light in the Lord (51,8)

9
The Seriousness of Sin

•  Question Who Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of
  God?
• Galatians 519-21
• Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which
  are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry,
  sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of
  anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying,
  drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of
  which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned
  you, that those who practice such things will not
  inherit the kingdom of God.

10
The Bad News for the Unrighteous

• Question Who Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of
  God?
• 1 Corinthians 69-10
• Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not
  inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived
  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
  adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor
  thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor
  revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom
  of God.

11
The Good News of Gods Grace

• 1 Corinthians 611
• Such were some of you but you were washed, but
  you were sanctified, but you were justified in
  the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the
  Spirit of our God.

12
Application 1 Be Diligent to Make Your
Calling and Election Sure

• 2 Peter 15-9
• Now for this very reason also, applying all
  diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence,
  and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in
  your knowledge, self-control, and in your
  self-control, perseverance, and in your
  perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness,
  brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly
  kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours
  and are increasing, they render you neither
  useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of
  our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these
  qualities is blind or short-sighted, having
  forgotten his purification from his former sins.

13
Application 1 Be Diligent to Make Your
Calling and Election Sure

• 2 Peter 110-11
• Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to
  make certain about His calling and choosing you
  for as long as you practice these things, you
  will never stumble for in this way the entrance
  into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
  Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

14
Contrasting Ephesians and 2 Peter

• Ephesians 55-6
• Characteristics-
• Immoral, Impure etc.
• Result-
• Will not inherit the Kingdom of God
• Revealed as-
• Sons of Disobedience

• 2 Peter 15-10
• Characteristics-
• Faithful, Loving, etc.
• Result-
• Will receive a rich entrance into the Kingdom of
  God
• Revealed as-
• The Called and Elect Ones

15
Application 2Be Engaged in Gods Means of
Cultivating Assurance

• The Word of God
• 1 John 513
• These things I have written to you who believe in
  the name of the Son of God, so that you may know
  that you have eternal life.

• Prayer
• Hebrews 416
• Therefore let us draw near with confidence to
  the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy
  and find grace to help in time of need.

16
Application 2Be Engaged in Gods Means of
Cultivating Assurance

• Fellowship
• Hebrews 1025
• . . . not forsaking our own assembling together,
  as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
  another and all the more as you see the day
  drawing near.

• The Lords Supper
• 1 Corinthians 1125
• In the same way He took the cup also after
  supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in
  My blood do this, as often as you drink it, in
  remembrance of Me."