To the Praise of His Glory

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace,

wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1 is one the richest passages of Scripture doctrinally.  There are so many layers of Biblical truth concerning our salvation and our position with God as believers that it would be impossible to cover it all.  Today I want to focus your attention on a phrase that shows up three times in this chapter, “to the praise of his glory.”  We will see that it is connected with our salvation, our service, and the Holy Spirit.

1. Our Salvation – vs. 3-7 
   “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”,is how the third verse begins.  Now we know Who is being discussed and described in the next sentence. 
   * God has blessed us in heavenly places in Christ
   * God has chosen us
   * God has made us holy and without blame before Him in love
   * God has adopted us according to the good pleasure of His will
   * God has made us accepted in the beloved
   * God has given us redemption and the forgiveness of sins
   Why did He do all of that for us?  “To the praise of the glory of His grace.”

2. Our Service – vs. 8-12 
   We are saved for His glory, and we glorify Him by service.  We are not left alone to serve, but God equips us to serve Him in the best way possible.
   * God gives us knowledge (of the truth) and wisdom (application of the truth)
   * God has secured our future
   * God works all things for us according to His will
   Why does He do all of that for us?  “That we should be to the praise of His glory.” 
   He has given us everything we need to serve Him in such a way that our lives reflect and project the power of His grace to a world that desperately needs His love.
3. The Spirit – vs. 13-14 
   Other passages of Scripture make it very clear that the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in our salvation.  He is also very involved with our preservation, motivation, and dedication.
   * “Ye were sealed”  
   God gave us the Holy Spirit to confirm that we are purchased, preserved, and protected.
   *  “the earnest of our inheritance” 
   God gave us the Holy Spirit as a down payment on His eternal promise to confirm that we are His people forever.
   Why did He give us the Holy Spirit?  “unto the praise of His glory.”

In light of this passage of Scripture, it is very clear that we should be a people of praise.  Many think of praise as something vocal, and it can be.  Praise is also visible.  We should not only praise Him with our lips, but also with our lives.  What the world will not hear maybe they will see.  If God invested everything He did into our salvation and gave us His Spirit to indwell us, then maybe we should serve Him to the praise of His glory.