September 7, 2025 • 30 mins
Why did God save us? It's a profound question that strikes at the heart of our faith. While we often focus on the benefits salvation brings to us, Pastor Timothy Mann takes us deeper, revealing salvation's ultimate purpose through two breathtaking passages of Scripture.
Drawing from Romans 11:33-36 and Ephesians 1:3-14, this message unveils a transformative truth: salvation exists fundamentally for God's glory. The Apostle Paul doesn't merely explain theology in these passages—he erupts in praise. These doxologies (glory speeches) teach us that when we truly grasp salvation's design, analysis gives way to adoration.
Pastor Tim Mann walks us through four reasons why only God deserves glory for our salvation: His wisdom is unsearchable, His ways are higher than ours, no one can advise Him or repay Him, and everything originates from Him and exists for Him. The cross perfectly demonstrates this wisdom—who but God would devise a rescue plan centering on a crucified Savior?
The message then explores Ephesians 1, revealing how we are blessed in Christ, chosen before creation, adopted as God's children, redeemed through Christ's blood, and sealed with the Holy Spirit—all "to the praise of His glory." This refrain repeats throughout the passage, emphasizing that God saved us to magnify His grace, not showcase our worth.
For believers who've lost their sense of wonder, this message serves as a powerful reminder to stop taking salvation for granted and start thanking God afresh. Salvation isn't fragile or dependent on our efforts—it rests on God's joyful purpose. He didn't just wipe our slate clean; He filled our lives with every blessing in Christ so we might become living testimonies to His glory.
Has familiarity dulled your appreciation for God's grace? Return to these truths and reignite your worship. Remember: we don't need to understand everything to worship God. He saved you, He holds you, and He will complete what He began—for His glory and your good.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Romans 11 and Ephesians, chapter 1.
Going to be reading verses 33through 36.
And then we'll be readingverses 3 through 14 in Ephesians
1.
And he says oh, the depth ofthe riches, both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God.
How unsearchable are hisjudgments and his ways past
(00:45):
finding out, for who has knownthe mind of the Lord or who has
become his counselor, or who hasfirst given to him, and it
should be repaid to him for ofhim and through him and to him
are all things to whom be gloryforever.
(01:06):
Amen.
Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 1.
Picking up in verse 3, readingdown through verse 14 ephesians
1.
The bible says grace to you andpeace from god, our father and
the lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord, jesus Christ, who
(01:29):
has blessed us with everyspiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, justas he chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world.
That we should be holy andwithout blame before Him in love
, having predestined us toadoption as sons by Jesus Christ
himself, according to the goodpleasure of his will, to the
(01:52):
praise of the glory of his graceby which he made us accepted
into beloved.
In him, we have redemptionthrough his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, accordingto the riches of his grace which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence, having
made known to us the mystery ofhis will, according to his good
(02:16):
pleasure, which he purposed inhimself that, in the
dispensation of the fullness oftimes, he might gather together
in one all things, in christ,both which are in heaven and
which are on earth.
In him, in him also, we haveobtained an inheritance being
predestined according to thepurpose of him, who works all
(02:37):
things according to the counselof his will, that we who first
trusted in christ should be tothe praise of his glory.
In him you also trusted afteryou heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, inwhom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the holy spiritof promise, who is the
(02:59):
guarantee of our inheritanceuntil the redemption of the
purchased possession to thepraise of his glory.
And we'll stop here, and thisis god's word.
Well, we're not there yet, butas we come closer to the final
message of our saved series,we're asking an essential
question today.
(03:19):
An essential question today,and that question is this why
did God save us?
Why did God save us?
And so, if you are a genuinebeliever, a follower of Jesus
Christ.
Why did he call us?
Why did he forgive us andredeem us and make us new and
(03:42):
secure us for eternity?
Yes, he loves us.
Yes, yes, he is rich in mercy.
Yes, he delights in rescuingand restoring.
Aren't you thankful for thatthis morning?
He delights in that.
But the ultimate reason, thehighest purpose behind it all is
(04:02):
this to the praise of His glory, to the praise of His glory,
salvation is not about exaltingus.
It's not a stage for ourgoodness, it's not a stage for
our decisions.
It's about magnifying thegreatness of God, his love and
(04:24):
His grace and His wisdom and Hispower.
The Apostle Paul reallycaptures this with breathtaking
clarity in Romans 11, verse 36,when he says for, of Him and
through Him and to Him are allthings.
How many things, all things,how many things, all things.
To whom be glory forever, amen.
(04:46):
And so everything, everythingcreation, history, redemption
and eternity comes from Him andthrough Him and for Him.
So salvation is God's idea,it's God's initiative, it's
achieved through his grace andit results in his glory.
(05:10):
So that's our focus today, aswe begin to wind down this
series not just understandingsalvation, but responding to it
through worship.
So we're about to explore, forthe next few minutes, two very
inspiring passages of praise,two doxologies, as they're
(05:31):
called, that lift our hearts andour eyes to where they belong.
The word doxology, that's anunusual word to us.
We don't use it in our everydaylanguage.
The word doxology comes fromgreek and it literally means
glory saying or glory speak.
That's what doxology meansglory speak, glory speech, glory
(05:55):
saying.
And so if salvation has taughtus anything, it's this god
receives the glory, god receivesthe glory, god receives the
glory.
So let's lift our hearts, let'sask the Lord to help us to lift
our hearts and our minds todayto see him as the author and the
perfecter, the finisher of ourfaith.
So we begin with the Romans 11glory saying.
(06:19):
The Romans 11 glory speak.
The romans 11 glory speak.
Pay attention to what we noticehere.
Romans 11 shows us the wonderof god's wisdom.
The wonder of god's wisdom.
So in romans I know I'm justjumping in kind of at the end of
a chapter here but so in romans, after 11 chapters of profound,
(06:42):
rich theology covering humansin and justification by faith
and God's mercy towards bothJews and Greeks, gentiles, the
Apostle Paul here he doesn't endthis section with more analysis
or more teaching.
Instead, what he does is hebursts forth into adoration.
(07:05):
He doesn't just finish thesection, he erupts with praise,
and that's why we call it adoxology, a burst of praise
that's rooted in God's greatness.
And so here the Apostle Paul, inthese verses, gives us four
reasons why only God deservesthe glory for our salvation and
(07:28):
really, why we should stand backand marvel at his wisdom.
So let's look at those fourreasons.
Are you ready?
About three of you are.
Are you ready?
All right?
All right, don't get so workedup, okay.
Why should we marvel at hiswisdom?
Well, first of all, here's thereason because his wisdom is
(07:51):
unsearchable.
That's what the Bible says,verse 33, first part of it.
Oh, the depth of the riches,both of his wisdom, the wisdom
and the knowledge of God.
So salvation is not somethinghumans create.
It comes from God's infinitewisdom.
I mean, who else but God woulddevise a rescue plan that
(08:15):
centers on a crucified Saviorand leads sinners into
righteousness through grace?
Who would have imagined thatthe worst event in history, the
cross and the crucifixion of theperfect Son of God, would
become the gateway to eternallife?
And the Apostle Paul doesn't tryto explain every detail.
(08:38):
He marvels, he just marvels.
He just marvels, which isexactly what we should do.
There are depths to god'swisdom that we'll never truly
understand, but we can bow ourhearts before them in reverent
awe, and god deserves the glory.
(09:01):
And god also deserves the glory.
Look, look, because His waysare higher.
His ways are higher.
It says in the second part ofthat verse, verse 33, how
unsearchable are His judgmentsand His ways past finding out.
So God doesn't follow humanlogic, why he sees.
(09:24):
He sees what we cannot see andhe acts with perfect justice and
perfect mercy.
And his ways are not random.
They're higher and better andwiser.
Even the parts that we findhardest to understand, like
(09:44):
divine sovereignty and humanresponsibility and grace and
suffering, they're all part of abigger story that will
ultimately reveal God's gloryand goodness in full.
He deserves the glory.
We should marvel at His wisdom,but also he deserves the glory.
(10:08):
And for us to marvel at hiswisdom, but also he deserves the
glory.
And and for us to marvel at hiswisdom because look at verse 34
and 35 because no one canadvise him or repay him for who
has known the mind of the lord,or who has become his counselor,
or who first, who has at firstgiven to him Capital H, meaning
(10:29):
God, and it shall be paid,repaid to him, that is to say
Little H, the person who gavesomething to God.
Let me just tell you somethingreal quickly, in case you didn't
know it.
God doesn't need your advice.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Did you?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
know that?
Yeah, he's not going to hireyou as a consultant.
He's just not.
He doesn't need your advice and, on top of that, he doesn't owe
us anything.
Did you know that he doesn'towe us anything?
He wasn't responding to ourmerit, he wasn't responding to
our initiative.
In fact, everything aboutsalvation, from start to finish,
(11:09):
is a gift of His mercy.
We didn't climb up to God, hecame down to us.
We didn't write the story, hedid, and it all points to His
glory, not ours.
But he also deserves all theglory for salvation, because
look at verse 36, the beginningof it because all things are
(11:36):
from Him, him and to him.
So here's the summary ofsalvation and also of creation,
in fact, of him, of him.
He's the source.
Salvation started in his heart.
Through him, he is the means.
Salvation was accomplishedthrough christ and to him, he is
the goal.
And you, we are saved for hisglory.
(11:59):
He created you, he redeemed you, he saved you and you were
redeemed for him.
So imagine an incredible musicalperformance.
Each section fills its role,every instrument contributes to
(12:19):
the music, and then comes thatvery final, impactful chord that
brings it all together.
Well, romans, chapter 11, verse36 is the final chord in this
section of Romans.
All of redemptive history, allthe way from Genesis to
Revelation, is a symphony, ifyou will, culminating in the
(12:40):
glory of God, verse 36, thesecond part of it.
To whom be glory forever, amen.
So the apostle paul here.
He didn't just write theology,or even scripture although it is
.
He didn't just write scripture.
He didn't just write theology.
(13:01):
He worships, and that's ourcall too.
That's our call as well.
So if salvation listen to me ifsalvation has become routine for
you, perhaps it's time to stopanalyzing and start adoring.
Or or if, if salvation hasbecome familiar to you, maybe
(13:26):
it's time to stop taking it forgranted and start thanking God
from your heart again.
Let your heart say again oh thedepth, how unsearchable To him
be the glory.
Don't lose the wonder.
Don't lose the wonder.
(13:48):
You might know the doctrines,but do you still feel the awe?
Let the glory of God inspirefresh praise in your heart.
And for those of you whostruggle with this, let me just
say to you you don't need tounderstand everything to worship
(14:11):
god.
Just remember.
God saved you, he holds you,and god will complete what he
began for his glory and for yourgood.
If you are not saved.
I mean if you are not saved, Imean if you are not a genuine
follower of Jesus.
Listen, you were created forGod's glory, so come to him.
(14:31):
Come to him in repentance andgenuine faith.
Be reconciled to God.
Find your purpose in the onewho gave everything for you.
And this is not our onlydoxology this morning.
This is not our only gloryspeech today.
So if Romans 11 inspires us tomarvel at God's wisdom, then
(14:56):
Ephesians 1 encourages us toworship God for His grace.
Let's turn there, ephesians 1.
Go back over there in yourBibles.
Ephesians 1 1.
I want you to be able to look atthe scripture.
Look at the scripture.
Don't just listen to my words.
I'm not speaking my words.
I'm just reading, saying whatthe word says.
(15:16):
It really moves us to worshipgod for his grace.
This is all about the glory ofgod's grace.
So the apostle paul here startsthis letter not with
instructions but with praise,lifting our eyes to recognize
the incredible blessingsreserved for those who are in
(15:37):
christ, that is to say for thosewho are saved.
This is one of the mostbeautiful doxologies in all of
scripture.
The holy spirit, throughthrough Paul, wants us to
understand that salvation islavished on us, not because of
who we are, but because of whoGod is.
So let's walk through ittogether.
(15:57):
I need to read this one moretime Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in theheavenly places in Christ, just
as he chose us in him before thefoundation of the world.
That we should be holy andwithout blame before him in love
, having predestined us toadoption as sons by Jesus Christ
(16:19):
to himself, according to thegood pleasure of his will, to
the praise of the glory of hisgrace, by which he has made us
accepted in the beloved.
In him we have redemptionthrough his blood, the
forgiveness of sins according tothe riches of his grace, which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence, having
made known to us the mystery ofhis will, according to the
(16:42):
pleasure which he has purposedin himself.
Let's stop there.
That's enough for now.
We'll get the rest in a minute.
So this passage really revealsthe heartbeat of the gospel, and
it's this Salvation is by God'sgrace, through Christ and for
his glory.
Salvation is by God's grace,through Christ, for his glory.
(17:04):
Let's kind of walk through thisjust kind of at a pretty good
clip here, so hang in here withme.
First of all, what do we see?
Well, we see we are blessed inchrist.
We are blessed in christ,blessed with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places,in christ.
Again, the apostle paul herestarts with praise.
Everything that follows then isbased on this truth, and it's
(17:29):
this.
God has already blessed us holyand richly in christ.
Now I need you to know thesearen't.
He's not talking about materialblessings, he's not talking
about temporary blessings.
These are spiritual blessings.
These are eternal blessings,things like forgiveness and
(17:50):
adoption, and peace and hope andthe Holy Spirit living within
us.
And these are blessings, praiseGod, that can never be taken
away and can never fade overtime.
We have them all in Christ.
We have them all in Christ andnot through our effort, not
through our status, but throughour union with Jesus, through
(18:16):
faith in Christ.
We were chosen in Christ, justas he chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world.
Now, this verse often promptsquestions, but it's intended to
humble us and guide us toworship, because before we ever
knew God, he knew us.
Before we were born or didanything good or anything bad,
(18:38):
god had a plan to rescue andrestore.
God chose to set His love onthose who would come to Christ,
not because of what we'd do, butbecause of his mercy.
And this phrase in scripture isnot about speculation, that's
not the point.
It's about celebration.
It reminds us that salvation isnot a reward, it's a gift in
(19:04):
Christ.
And also, I would add, it alsoteaches us that no one is beyond
the reach of God's grace.
Look what else it says.
It says we're adopted as hisown, having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christto himself.
We preached a whole sermon onthis some weeks back.
God didn't just save you fromsin, he brought you into his
(19:28):
family.
Isn't that good?
He's not just some distantdeity.
No, he's a loving father.
And you are not merely forgiven, you are claimed.
This is this is the relationalblessing of salvation adoption,
(19:54):
salvation, adoption.
You now belong, you are his andhe'll never disown you.
Verse five look at it.
It was according to his willand pleasure, according to the
good pleasure of his will.
God didn't save you reluctantly.
He didn't save you grudgingly.
He wasn't forced to do so, hewanted to.
Your salvation is not fragile.
You're not hanging on by athread.
If you're saved, it actuallyrests on God's joyful purpose.
(20:19):
He delighted in making you His.
And look at verse 6.
All of this is to the praise ofHis glory.
And look at verse 6.
All of this is to the praise ofHis glory, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, by which hemade us accepted in the beloved
.
Now this little phrase, thisrefrain, this verse repeats
through Ephesians 1.
(20:39):
If I counted right, I thinkthree times alone in this
passage that we read Again whydid God save us?
Ultimately, to the praise ofhis glory, to the praise of the
glory of his grace, not toshowcase our worth, but to
magnify his grace.
What else does it say?
(21:00):
It says we have redemption andforgiveness through his blood,
meaning jesus's blood.
Verse 7 in him, that's talkingabout jesus.
We have redemption through hisblood, the forgiveness of sins.
I think sometimes we mistakethings, we get things wrong, and
it's this.
God's grace is neither soft noris it sentimental, it's
(21:27):
sacrificial.
We need to be reminded, as I'vetried to do over and over
through this series, that itcosts jesus everything to secure
your forgiveness.
He didn't just simply dismissyour sin.
You know he doesn't do thatright.
He doesn't just dismiss yoursin.
(21:48):
He doesn't say oh honey, don'tworry about it, it's okay.
I know you can't help it, I'mjust going to overlook that.
No, he doesn't just simplydismiss your sin.
No, what he did was is he paidfor it in his own blood?
He paid the penalty for it.
(22:09):
He paid the punishment that Ideserve, that you deserve.
Look what else.
We also see this grace thatoverflows with wisdom.
Verse 7 through 8, according tothe riches of His grace, which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence.
(22:30):
I'm happy this morning that Goddidn't just give us a little
grace, he poured it out on us,made it to abound toward us.
He poured it out on us and itoverflowed.
He knew exactly what we neededand he supplied it all through
Christ.
What we needed, and he suppliedit all through Christ.
I like Romans, chapter 5, verse20, that says Moreover, the law
(22:50):
entered.
The law of God entered so thatthe offense, the sin, might
abound.
But where sin abounded, graceabounded much more.
Praise God.
I mean.
Imagine this morning owing abillion dollars.
Do you even know how much moneythat is?
I have no idea.
I hear about it all the time onthe TV, how much we're in debt
(23:13):
and how much everything costsand supposedly they're like
getting back $9 billion herepretty quickly and I'm like okay
.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I guess, that's good.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Is that a lot?
Sounds like it's a lot.
Imagine you owing a billiondollars.
Would you have?
Is there anybody in this roomthat would have a way to pay it
off?
Anybody, no, most of uscouldn't even pay off a thousand
dollars, much less a billiondollars.
And then someone steps in, notonly canceling your debt, but
(23:45):
actually also depositing afortune into your account.
That's grace.
God didn't just wipe your slateclean.
He filled your life with everyblessing in Christ.
Why?
Here it is?
So that your life would becomelisten a living testimony to his
(24:09):
glory.
So that your life would becomea living testimony to his glory.
And all of this should lead topraise.
I mean, it's how the ApostlePaul began this section and it's
also how we should respond.
Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord, jesus Christ.
(24:32):
You are in Christ.
Bless His name.
You've been adopted.
Glorify Him.
You've been redeemed.
Praise His name.
You've been graced.
Live to honor Him.
Live in such a way to honor Himand don't allow these truths to
(24:55):
fade.
Revisit them often and reigniteyour worship.
Let grace, god's grace, guideyou back to the wonder of it all
, to awe.
You are not saved because ofwho you are, but because of who
(25:16):
Christ is, stand in that,rejoice in that.
And if you are truly still anunbeliever I mean honestly not a
Christian hear me, this graceis real, it's free, it's
(25:37):
overflowing and you can't earnit, but you can receive it.
Believe on Jesus today, rightnow, repent.
That means turn around andbelieve In Christ Now, now.
(26:02):
So If the first half ofEphesians, 1.
1, shows us what god has doneto save us, the final part shows
us why and how we are called tolive in response.
Y'all still doing good?
All right, let's look back atit together.
(26:25):
Second part of this we're goingto pick up in verse 11.
In him again meaning Jesus alsowe have obtained an inheritance
being predestined according tothe purpose of him, who works
all things according to thecounsel of his will, that we who
first trusted in Christ shouldbe to the praise of his glory.
(26:46):
In him you also trusted, afteryou heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, inwhom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the holy spiritof promise, who is the
guarantee of our inheritanceuntil the redemption of the
purchased possession.
Here it is again to the praiseof his glory, and so the bible
here shows us that salvation notonly and we and we praise god
(27:09):
for this, we rejoice in this allthe time.
We were thanking the lord forit.
We had a.
We had a uh memorial service,celebration of life service here
friday night and if you werehere you know it was our brother
, mike chitty, who was a churchmember here for nine years and
and we were, we were justcelebrating that his salvation
secured his future and now hewas with the Lord.
(27:30):
But listen, the Bible shows usthat salvation not only secures
our future, but it also shapesour present.
It shapes our present Right now.
Right now, it transforms savedsinners into grateful worshipers
(27:57):
and then it turns our livesinto a song of praise to god and
for god.
Our life becomes that.
Look what it says.
It says we've received aneternal inheritance In Him,
meaning it's all in Christ.
Also, we have obtained aninheritance, and this
inheritance isn't wealth, itisn't land, it isn't earthly
treasures.
(28:17):
That's not what this is talkingabout.
We are going to have a newearth and a new heaven one day,
but this is eternal life, thisis fellowship with God, this is
resurrection, hope, this iseverlasting joy in his kingdom,
and I'm grateful today to tellyou.
You don't need to wonder if itwill come.
You already have it secured inChrist and you're not earning it
(28:41):
.
You're receiving it by grace.
Look what else it says God isworking all things according to
his will.
Verse 11, second part accordingto the purpose of him, who works
all things according to thecounsel of his will.
Now, this verse, for me, reallyoffers unwavering hope, and
(29:02):
it's this god isn't justinvolved in salvation, he is
working in all things.
You know what that means.
That means your past, he canredeem it.
Your present, he's with you init.
And your future, he's alreadyprepared it.
And so your struggles, yourwaiting, your uncertainty, none
(29:29):
of it is wasted.
He is weaving it all togetherfor his purpose and for his
glory.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning in to theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Romans 11 and Ephesians, chapter 1.
Going to be reading verses 33through 36.
And then we'll be readingverses 3 through 14 in Ephesians
1.
And he says oh, the depth ofthe riches, both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God.
How unsearchable are hisjudgments and his ways past
(00:45):
finding out, for who has knownthe mind of the Lord or who has
become his counselor, or who hasfirst given to him, and it
should be repaid to him for ofhim and through him and to him
are all things to whom be gloryforever.
(01:06):
Amen.
Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 1.
Picking up in verse 3, readingdown through verse 14 ephesians
1.
The bible says grace to you andpeace from god, our father and
the lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord, jesus Christ, who
(01:29):
has blessed us with everyspiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, justas he chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world.
That we should be holy andwithout blame before Him in love
, having predestined us toadoption as sons by Jesus Christ
himself, according to the goodpleasure of his will, to the
(01:52):
praise of the glory of his graceby which he made us accepted
into beloved.
In him, we have redemptionthrough his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, accordingto the riches of his grace which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence, having
made known to us the mystery ofhis will, according to his good
(02:16):
pleasure, which he purposed inhimself that, in the
dispensation of the fullness oftimes, he might gather together
in one all things, in christ,both which are in heaven and
which are on earth.
In him, in him also, we haveobtained an inheritance being
predestined according to thepurpose of him, who works all
(02:37):
things according to the counselof his will, that we who first
trusted in christ should be tothe praise of his glory.
In him you also trusted afteryou heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, inwhom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the holy spiritof promise, who is the
(02:59):
guarantee of our inheritanceuntil the redemption of the
purchased possession to thepraise of his glory.
And we'll stop here, and thisis god's word.
Well, we're not there yet, butas we come closer to the final
message of our saved series,we're asking an essential
question today.
(03:19):
An essential question today,and that question is this why
did God save us?
Why did God save us?
And so, if you are a genuinebeliever, a follower of Jesus
Christ.
Why did he call us?
Why did he forgive us andredeem us and make us new and
(03:42):
secure us for eternity?
Yes, he loves us.
Yes, yes, he is rich in mercy.
Yes, he delights in rescuingand restoring.
Aren't you thankful for thatthis morning?
He delights in that.
But the ultimate reason, thehighest purpose behind it all is
(04:02):
this to the praise of His glory, to the praise of His glory,
salvation is not about exaltingus.
It's not a stage for ourgoodness, it's not a stage for
our decisions.
It's about magnifying thegreatness of God, his love and
(04:24):
His grace and His wisdom and Hispower.
The Apostle Paul reallycaptures this with breathtaking
clarity in Romans 11, verse 36,when he says for, of Him and
through Him and to Him are allthings.
How many things, all things,how many things, all things.
To whom be glory forever, amen.
(04:46):
And so everything, everythingcreation, history, redemption
and eternity comes from Him andthrough Him and for Him.
So salvation is God's idea,it's God's initiative, it's
achieved through his grace andit results in his glory.
(05:10):
So that's our focus today, aswe begin to wind down this
series not just understandingsalvation, but responding to it
through worship.
So we're about to explore, forthe next few minutes, two very
inspiring passages of praise,two doxologies, as they're
(05:31):
called, that lift our hearts andour eyes to where they belong.
The word doxology, that's anunusual word to us.
We don't use it in our everydaylanguage.
The word doxology comes fromgreek and it literally means
glory saying or glory speak.
That's what doxology meansglory speak, glory speech, glory
(05:55):
saying.
And so if salvation has taughtus anything, it's this god
receives the glory, god receivesthe glory, god receives the
glory.
So let's lift our hearts, let'sask the Lord to help us to lift
our hearts and our minds todayto see him as the author and the
perfecter, the finisher of ourfaith.
So we begin with the Romans 11glory saying.
(06:19):
The Romans 11 glory speak.
The romans 11 glory speak.
Pay attention to what we noticehere.
Romans 11 shows us the wonderof god's wisdom.
The wonder of god's wisdom.
So in romans I know I'm justjumping in kind of at the end of
a chapter here but so in romans, after 11 chapters of profound,
(06:42):
rich theology covering humansin and justification by faith
and God's mercy towards bothJews and Greeks, gentiles, the
Apostle Paul here he doesn't endthis section with more analysis
or more teaching.
Instead, what he does is hebursts forth into adoration.
(07:05):
He doesn't just finish thesection, he erupts with praise,
and that's why we call it adoxology, a burst of praise
that's rooted in God's greatness.
And so here the Apostle Paul, inthese verses, gives us four
reasons why only God deservesthe glory for our salvation and
(07:28):
really, why we should stand backand marvel at his wisdom.
So let's look at those fourreasons.
Are you ready?
About three of you are.
Are you ready?
All right?
All right, don't get so workedup, okay.
Why should we marvel at hiswisdom?
Well, first of all, here's thereason because his wisdom is
(07:51):
unsearchable.
That's what the Bible says,verse 33, first part of it.
Oh, the depth of the riches,both of his wisdom, the wisdom
and the knowledge of God.
So salvation is not somethinghumans create.
It comes from God's infinitewisdom.
I mean, who else but God woulddevise a rescue plan that
(08:15):
centers on a crucified Saviorand leads sinners into
righteousness through grace?
Who would have imagined thatthe worst event in history, the
cross and the crucifixion of theperfect Son of God, would
become the gateway to eternallife?
And the Apostle Paul doesn't tryto explain every detail.
(08:38):
He marvels, he just marvels.
He just marvels, which isexactly what we should do.
There are depths to god'swisdom that we'll never truly
understand, but we can bow ourhearts before them in reverent
awe, and god deserves the glory.
(09:01):
And god also deserves the glory.
Look, look, because His waysare higher.
His ways are higher.
It says in the second part ofthat verse, verse 33, how
unsearchable are His judgmentsand His ways past finding out.
So God doesn't follow humanlogic, why he sees.
(09:24):
He sees what we cannot see andhe acts with perfect justice and
perfect mercy.
And his ways are not random.
They're higher and better andwiser.
Even the parts that we findhardest to understand, like
(09:44):
divine sovereignty and humanresponsibility and grace and
suffering, they're all part of abigger story that will
ultimately reveal God's gloryand goodness in full.
He deserves the glory.
We should marvel at His wisdom,but also he deserves the glory.
(10:08):
And for us to marvel at hiswisdom, but also he deserves the
glory.
And and for us to marvel at hiswisdom because look at verse 34
and 35 because no one canadvise him or repay him for who
has known the mind of the lord,or who has become his counselor,
or who first, who has at firstgiven to him Capital H, meaning
(10:29):
God, and it shall be paid,repaid to him, that is to say
Little H, the person who gavesomething to God.
Let me just tell you somethingreal quickly, in case you didn't
know it.
God doesn't need your advice.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Did you?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
know that?
Yeah, he's not going to hireyou as a consultant.
He's just not.
He doesn't need your advice and, on top of that, he doesn't owe
us anything.
Did you know that he doesn'towe us anything?
He wasn't responding to ourmerit, he wasn't responding to
our initiative.
In fact, everything aboutsalvation, from start to finish,
(11:09):
is a gift of His mercy.
We didn't climb up to God, hecame down to us.
We didn't write the story, hedid, and it all points to His
glory, not ours.
But he also deserves all theglory for salvation, because
look at verse 36, the beginningof it because all things are
(11:36):
from Him, him and to him.
So here's the summary ofsalvation and also of creation,
in fact, of him, of him.
He's the source.
Salvation started in his heart.
Through him, he is the means.
Salvation was accomplishedthrough christ and to him, he is
the goal.
And you, we are saved for hisglory.
(11:59):
He created you, he redeemed you, he saved you and you were
redeemed for him.
So imagine an incredible musicalperformance.
Each section fills its role,every instrument contributes to
(12:19):
the music, and then comes thatvery final, impactful chord that
brings it all together.
Well, romans, chapter 11, verse36 is the final chord in this
section of Romans.
All of redemptive history, allthe way from Genesis to
Revelation, is a symphony, ifyou will, culminating in the
(12:40):
glory of God, verse 36, thesecond part of it.
To whom be glory forever, amen.
So the apostle paul here.
He didn't just write theology,or even scripture although it is
.
He didn't just write scripture.
He didn't just write theology.
(13:01):
He worships, and that's ourcall too.
That's our call as well.
So if salvation listen to me ifsalvation has become routine for
you, perhaps it's time to stopanalyzing and start adoring.
Or or if, if salvation hasbecome familiar to you, maybe
(13:26):
it's time to stop taking it forgranted and start thanking God
from your heart again.
Let your heart say again oh thedepth, how unsearchable To him
be the glory.
Don't lose the wonder.
Don't lose the wonder.
(13:48):
You might know the doctrines,but do you still feel the awe?
Let the glory of God inspirefresh praise in your heart.
And for those of you whostruggle with this, let me just
say to you you don't need tounderstand everything to worship
(14:11):
god.
Just remember.
God saved you, he holds you,and god will complete what he
began for his glory and for yourgood.
If you are not saved.
I mean if you are not saved, Imean if you are not a genuine
follower of Jesus.
Listen, you were created forGod's glory, so come to him.
(14:31):
Come to him in repentance andgenuine faith.
Be reconciled to God.
Find your purpose in the onewho gave everything for you.
And this is not our onlydoxology this morning.
This is not our only gloryspeech today.
So if Romans 11 inspires us tomarvel at God's wisdom, then
(14:56):
Ephesians 1 encourages us toworship God for His grace.
Let's turn there, ephesians 1.
Go back over there in yourBibles.
Ephesians 1 1.
I want you to be able to look atthe scripture.
Look at the scripture.
Don't just listen to my words.
I'm not speaking my words.
I'm just reading, saying whatthe word says.
(15:16):
It really moves us to worshipgod for his grace.
This is all about the glory ofgod's grace.
So the apostle paul here startsthis letter not with
instructions but with praise,lifting our eyes to recognize
the incredible blessingsreserved for those who are in
(15:37):
christ, that is to say for thosewho are saved.
This is one of the mostbeautiful doxologies in all of
scripture.
The holy spirit, throughthrough Paul, wants us to
understand that salvation islavished on us, not because of
who we are, but because of whoGod is.
So let's walk through ittogether.
(15:57):
I need to read this one moretime Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in theheavenly places in Christ, just
as he chose us in him before thefoundation of the world.
That we should be holy andwithout blame before him in love
, having predestined us toadoption as sons by Jesus Christ
(16:19):
to himself, according to thegood pleasure of his will, to
the praise of the glory of hisgrace, by which he has made us
accepted in the beloved.
In him we have redemptionthrough his blood, the
forgiveness of sins according tothe riches of his grace, which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence, having
made known to us the mystery ofhis will, according to the
(16:42):
pleasure which he has purposedin himself.
Let's stop there.
That's enough for now.
We'll get the rest in a minute.
So this passage really revealsthe heartbeat of the gospel, and
it's this Salvation is by God'sgrace, through Christ and for
his glory.
Salvation is by God's grace,through Christ, for his glory.
(17:04):
Let's kind of walk through thisjust kind of at a pretty good
clip here, so hang in here withme.
First of all, what do we see?
Well, we see we are blessed inchrist.
We are blessed in christ,blessed with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places,in christ.
Again, the apostle paul herestarts with praise.
Everything that follows then isbased on this truth, and it's
(17:29):
this.
God has already blessed us holyand richly in christ.
Now I need you to know thesearen't.
He's not talking about materialblessings, he's not talking
about temporary blessings.
These are spiritual blessings.
These are eternal blessings,things like forgiveness and
(17:50):
adoption, and peace and hope andthe Holy Spirit living within
us.
And these are blessings, praiseGod, that can never be taken
away and can never fade overtime.
We have them all in Christ.
We have them all in Christ andnot through our effort, not
through our status, but throughour union with Jesus, through
(18:16):
faith in Christ.
We were chosen in Christ, justas he chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world.
Now, this verse often promptsquestions, but it's intended to
humble us and guide us toworship, because before we ever
knew God, he knew us.
Before we were born or didanything good or anything bad,
(18:38):
god had a plan to rescue andrestore.
God chose to set His love onthose who would come to Christ,
not because of what we'd do, butbecause of his mercy.
And this phrase in scripture isnot about speculation, that's
not the point.
It's about celebration.
It reminds us that salvation isnot a reward, it's a gift in
(19:04):
Christ.
And also, I would add, it alsoteaches us that no one is beyond
the reach of God's grace.
Look what else it says.
It says we're adopted as hisown, having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christto himself.
We preached a whole sermon onthis some weeks back.
God didn't just save you fromsin, he brought you into his
(19:28):
family.
Isn't that good?
He's not just some distantdeity.
No, he's a loving father.
And you are not merely forgiven, you are claimed.
This is this is the relationalblessing of salvation adoption,
(19:54):
salvation, adoption.
You now belong, you are his andhe'll never disown you.
Verse five look at it.
It was according to his willand pleasure, according to the
good pleasure of his will.
God didn't save you reluctantly.
He didn't save you grudgingly.
He wasn't forced to do so, hewanted to.
Your salvation is not fragile.
You're not hanging on by athread.
If you're saved, it actuallyrests on God's joyful purpose.
(20:19):
He delighted in making you His.
And look at verse 6.
All of this is to the praise ofHis glory.
And look at verse 6.
All of this is to the praise ofHis glory, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, by which hemade us accepted in the beloved
.
Now this little phrase, thisrefrain, this verse repeats
through Ephesians 1.
(20:39):
If I counted right, I thinkthree times alone in this
passage that we read Again whydid God save us?
Ultimately, to the praise ofhis glory, to the praise of the
glory of his grace, not toshowcase our worth, but to
magnify his grace.
What else does it say?
(21:00):
It says we have redemption andforgiveness through his blood,
meaning jesus's blood.
Verse 7 in him, that's talkingabout jesus.
We have redemption through hisblood, the forgiveness of sins.
I think sometimes we mistakethings, we get things wrong, and
it's this.
God's grace is neither soft noris it sentimental, it's
(21:27):
sacrificial.
We need to be reminded, as I'vetried to do over and over
through this series, that itcosts jesus everything to secure
your forgiveness.
He didn't just simply dismissyour sin.
You know he doesn't do thatright.
He doesn't just dismiss yoursin.
(21:48):
He doesn't say oh honey, don'tworry about it, it's okay.
I know you can't help it, I'mjust going to overlook that.
No, he doesn't just simplydismiss your sin.
No, what he did was is he paidfor it in his own blood?
He paid the penalty for it.
(22:09):
He paid the punishment that Ideserve, that you deserve.
Look what else.
We also see this grace thatoverflows with wisdom.
Verse 7 through 8, according tothe riches of His grace, which
he made to abound toward us inall wisdom and prudence.
(22:30):
I'm happy this morning that Goddidn't just give us a little
grace, he poured it out on us,made it to abound toward us.
He poured it out on us and itoverflowed.
He knew exactly what we neededand he supplied it all through
Christ.
What we needed, and he suppliedit all through Christ.
I like Romans, chapter 5, verse20, that says Moreover, the law
(22:50):
entered.
The law of God entered so thatthe offense, the sin, might
abound.
But where sin abounded, graceabounded much more.
Praise God.
I mean.
Imagine this morning owing abillion dollars.
Do you even know how much moneythat is?
I have no idea.
I hear about it all the time onthe TV, how much we're in debt
(23:13):
and how much everything costsand supposedly they're like
getting back $9 billion herepretty quickly and I'm like okay
.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I guess, that's good.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Is that a lot?
Sounds like it's a lot.
Imagine you owing a billiondollars.
Would you have?
Is there anybody in this roomthat would have a way to pay it
off?
Anybody, no, most of uscouldn't even pay off a thousand
dollars, much less a billiondollars.
And then someone steps in, notonly canceling your debt, but
(23:45):
actually also depositing afortune into your account.
That's grace.
God didn't just wipe your slateclean.
He filled your life with everyblessing in Christ.
Why?
Here it is?
So that your life would becomelisten a living testimony to his
(24:09):
glory.
So that your life would becomea living testimony to his glory.
And all of this should lead topraise.
I mean, it's how the ApostlePaul began this section and it's
also how we should respond.
Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord, jesus Christ.
(24:32):
You are in Christ.
Bless His name.
You've been adopted.
Glorify Him.
You've been redeemed.
Praise His name.
You've been graced.
Live to honor Him.
Live in such a way to honor Himand don't allow these truths to
(24:55):
fade.
Revisit them often and reigniteyour worship.
Let grace, god's grace, guideyou back to the wonder of it all
, to awe.
You are not saved because ofwho you are, but because of who
(25:16):
Christ is, stand in that,rejoice in that.
And if you are truly still anunbeliever I mean honestly not a
Christian hear me, this graceis real, it's free, it's
(25:37):
overflowing and you can't earnit, but you can receive it.
Believe on Jesus today, rightnow, repent.
That means turn around andbelieve In Christ Now, now.
(26:02):
So If the first half ofEphesians, 1.
1, shows us what god has doneto save us, the final part shows
us why and how we are called tolive in response.
Y'all still doing good?
All right, let's look back atit together.
(26:25):
Second part of this we're goingto pick up in verse 11.
In him again meaning Jesus alsowe have obtained an inheritance
being predestined according tothe purpose of him, who works
all things according to thecounsel of his will, that we who
first trusted in Christ shouldbe to the praise of his glory.
(26:46):
In him you also trusted, afteryou heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, inwhom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the holy spiritof promise, who is the
guarantee of our inheritanceuntil the redemption of the
purchased possession.
Here it is again to the praiseof his glory, and so the bible
here shows us that salvation notonly and we and we praise god
(27:09):
for this, we rejoice in this allthe time.
We were thanking the lord forit.
We had a.
We had a uh memorial service,celebration of life service here
friday night and if you werehere you know it was our brother
, mike chitty, who was a churchmember here for nine years and
and we were, we were justcelebrating that his salvation
secured his future and now hewas with the Lord.
(27:30):
But listen, the Bible shows usthat salvation not only secures
our future, but it also shapesour present.
It shapes our present Right now.
Right now, it transforms savedsinners into grateful worshipers
(27:57):
and then it turns our livesinto a song of praise to god and
for god.
Our life becomes that.
Look what it says.
It says we've received aneternal inheritance In Him,
meaning it's all in Christ.
Also, we have obtained aninheritance, and this
inheritance isn't wealth, itisn't land, it isn't earthly
treasures.
(28:17):
That's not what this is talkingabout.
We are going to have a newearth and a new heaven one day,
but this is eternal life, thisis fellowship with God, this is
resurrection, hope, this iseverlasting joy in his kingdom,
and I'm grateful today to tellyou.
You don't need to wonder if itwill come.
You already have it secured inChrist and you're not earning it
(28:41):
.
You're receiving it by grace.
Look what else it says God isworking all things according to
his will.
Verse 11, second part accordingto the purpose of him, who works
all things according to thecounsel of his will.
Now, this verse, for me, reallyoffers unwavering hope, and
(29:02):
it's this god isn't justinvolved in salvation, he is
working in all things.
You know what that means.
That means your past, he canredeem it.
Your present, he's with you init.
And your future, he's alreadyprepared it.
And so your struggles, yourwaiting, your uncertainty, none
(29:29):
of it is wasted.
He is weaving it all togetherfor his purpose and for his
glory.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning in to theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
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