Clyde Raynard AXIOS = Part 4 - June 1st, 2025
Ephesians 4:1
1) Heavenly Calling – Hebrews 3:1 – “Therefore,holy brethren, partakers of aheavenly calling, consider Jesus,the Apostle andHigh Priest of ourconfession.”
2) Holy Calling – 2 Timothy 1:9 – “(God) who hassaved us andcalled us with a holycalling,not according to our works, but according to His ownpurpose and grace which was granted us inChrist Jesus fromall eternity,”
3) High Calling – Philippians 3:14 – “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (KJV)
4) Hopeful Calling – Ephesians 4:4 & Titus 2:13 – “’There isone body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in onehope of your calling;” / “looking for the blessed hope and theappearing of the glory ofour great God and Savior, Christ Jesus”
Part 1 of Ephesians – What your calling is. (Who you are in Christ) - Our Motivation for A Worthy Walk – Ch 1-3
Part 2 of Ephesians – How to Walk Worthy. (Walking as Christ would walk) - The Manner of A Worthy Walk – Ch 4-6
Our Motivation for A Worthy Walk
Ephesians 1:3-14
A) The Father’s Plan (3-6)
B) The Son’s Provision (7-12)
C) The Spirit’s Pledge (13-14)
A) The Father’s Plan 1:1-6
God’s Choosing us is an enigma!
Did He choose us or did we choose Him? Yes!
When did He choose us? Before we even existed!
Why did He choose us? So we would be Holy and Blameless – in His presence!
How could He choose us? Only “in Christ”!
1) To Bless Us (v.3) – Extensively!
2) To Choose Us (V.4) – Enigmatically!
3) And… To Predestinate Us (v.5) – Excellently! (The Excellence of His Predestining)
“In love He predestinated us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,”
Our destiny is in God’s hands!
Why is God’s Predestination “Excellent”?
“In love He predestinated us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,”
a) The Controlling Attitude of His Predestining Will – LOVE!
b) The Covering Intention of His Predestinating Will - Kindness
c) The Comprehensive Object of His Predestinating Will – Adoption As Sons
God has not predestined us to be saved (born into His family).
Nor has He predestined others to be lost (rejected from His family).
Predestination is always to some special place of blessing pre-determined for someone who is already a child of God.
Rom 8:29 – “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…”
So, What does “adoption as sons” mean?
Gk. – Huiothesia – from huios, “a son”, and thesis, “a placing”
Literally: “son-placing”
“Adoption is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons, it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons.”
W.E. Vine (Expository Dictionary) (Bolding - mine)
It is according to the kind intention of His will!
Harry Ironside, long time Bible Teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor and author, said,
“The greatest mistake any Christian can make is to substitute His own will for the will of God.”
Clyde Raynard – a guy next door – says that, if you are still unsaved,
“The greatest mistake YOU can ever make is to suppose that by trusting Christ you will, in some way, be losing out on life.”
It us only in Christ that you can know:
God’s choice of you,
His predestination of you, to adoption as sons,
and only in Christ that
Every spiritual blessing that He has to give, can be yours.
Queen Elizabeth I:
“If I show you grace, what promise will you make for the future?”
Would-Be Assassin (and Theologian):
“Grace that hath conditions, grace that is fettered by precautions, is not grace at all.”
1 Corinthians 15:10
