Foundations of Truth
This is the podcast of Firm Foundations ministries. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's Word, rooted in Scripture and anchored in the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each episode is designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding, and encourage you to stand firm in a shifting world.
Foundations of Truth
To God Be The Glory
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.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor Timothy Mann and Providence Church, ormond Beach, florida. Providence Church is a local assembly of followers of Jesus Christ dedicated to helping people become committed and mature followers of Jesus Christ. Now here's Pastor Timothy Mann teaching the Word.
Speaker 2:Romans 11 and Ephesians, chapter 1. Going to be reading verses 33 through 36. And then we'll be reading verses 3 through 14 in Ephesians 1. And he says oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out, for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor, or who has first given to him, and it should be repaid to him for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Speaker 2:Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1. Picking up in verse 3, reading down through verse 14 ephesians 1. The bible says grace to you and peace from god, our father and the lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted into beloved. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself that, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, 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 have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we who first trusted in christ should be to the praise of his glory. In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the holy spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory. And we'll stop here, and this is god's word.
Speaker 2:Well, we're not there yet, but as we come closer to the final message of our saved series, we're asking an essential question today. 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 genuine believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. Why did he call us? Why did he forgive us and redeem us and make us new and secure us for eternity? Yes, he loves us. Yes, yes, he is rich in mercy. Yes, he delights in rescuing and restoring. Aren't you thankful for that this morning? He delights in that.
Speaker 2:But the ultimate reason, the highest purpose behind it all is this to the praise of His glory, to the praise of His glory, salvation is not about exalting us. It's not a stage for our goodness, it's not a stage for our decisions. It's about magnifying the greatness of God, his love and His grace and His wisdom and His power. The Apostle Paul really captures this with breathtaking clarity in Romans 11, verse 36, when he says for, of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. How many things, all things, how many things, all things. To whom be glory forever, amen. And so everything, everything creation, history, redemption and eternity comes from Him and through Him and for Him. So salvation is God's idea, it's God's initiative, it's achieved through his grace and it results in his glory. So that's our focus today, as we begin to wind down this series not just understanding salvation, but responding to it through worship. So we're about to explore, for the next few minutes, two very inspiring passages of praise, two doxologies, as they're called, that lift our hearts and our eyes to where they belong.
Speaker 2:The word doxology, that's an unusual word to us. We don't use it in our everyday language. The word doxology comes from greek and it literally means glory saying or glory speak. That's what doxology means glory speak, glory speech, glory saying. And so if salvation has taught us anything, it's this god receives the glory, god receives the glory, god receives the glory. So let's lift our hearts, let's ask the Lord to help us to lift our hearts and our minds today to see him as the author and the perfecter, the finisher of our faith.
Speaker 2:So we begin with the Romans 11 glory saying. The Romans 11 glory speak. The romans 11 glory speak. Pay attention to what we notice here. Romans 11 shows us the wonder of god's wisdom. The wonder of god's wisdom. So in romans I know I'm just jumping in kind of at the end of a chapter here but so in romans, after 11 chapters of profound, rich theology covering human sin and justification by faith and God's mercy towards both Jews and Greeks, gentiles, the Apostle Paul here he doesn't end this section with more analysis or more teaching. Instead, what he does is he bursts forth into adoration. He doesn't just finish the section, he erupts with praise, and that's why we call it a doxology, a burst of praise that's rooted in God's greatness.
Speaker 2:And so here the Apostle Paul, in these verses, gives us four reasons why only God deserves the glory for our salvation and really, why we should stand back and marvel at his wisdom. So let's look at those four reasons. Are you ready? About three of you are. Are you ready? All right? All right, don't get so worked up, okay.
Speaker 2:Why should we marvel at his wisdom? Well, first of all, here's the reason because his wisdom is 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 something humans create. It comes from God's infinite wisdom. I mean, who else but God would devise a rescue plan that centers on a crucified Savior and leads sinners into righteousness through grace? Who would have imagined that the worst event in history, the cross and the crucifixion of the perfect Son of God, would become the gateway to eternal life?
Speaker 2:And the Apostle Paul doesn't try to explain every detail. He marvels, he just marvels. He just marvels, which is exactly what we should do. There are depths to god's wisdom that we'll never truly understand, but we can bow our hearts before them in reverent awe, and god deserves the glory. And god also deserves the glory. Look, look, because His ways are higher. His ways are higher.
Speaker 2:It says in the second part of that verse, verse 33, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. So God doesn't follow human logic, why he sees. He sees what we cannot see and he acts with perfect justice and perfect mercy. And his ways are not random. They're higher and better and wiser.
Speaker 2:Even the parts that we find hardest to understand, like divine sovereignty and human responsibility and grace and suffering, they're all part of a bigger story that will ultimately reveal God's glory and goodness in full. He deserves the glory. We should marvel at His wisdom, but also he deserves the glory. And for us to marvel at his wisdom, but also he deserves the glory. And and for us to marvel at his wisdom because look at verse 34 and 35 because no one can advise 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 first given to him Capital H, meaning God, and it shall be paid, repaid to him, that is to say Little H, the person who gave something to God. Let me just tell you something real quickly, in case you didn't know it. God doesn't need your advice.
Speaker 1:Did you?
Speaker 2:know that? Yeah, he's not going to hire you 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't owe us anything? He wasn't responding to our merit, he wasn't responding to our initiative.
Speaker 2:In fact, everything about salvation, from start to finish, is a gift of His mercy. We didn't climb up to God, he came down to us. We didn't write the story, he did, and it all points to His glory, not ours. But he also deserves all the glory for salvation, because look at verse 36, the beginning of it because all things are from Him, him and to him. So here's the summary of salvation 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 accomplished through christ and to him, he is the goal. And you, we are saved for his glory. He created you, he redeemed you, he saved you and you were redeemed for him.
Speaker 2:So imagine an incredible musical performance. Each section fills its role, every instrument contributes to the music, and then comes that very final, impactful chord that brings it all together. Well, romans, chapter 11, verse 36 is the final chord in this section of Romans. All of redemptive history, all the way from Genesis to Revelation, is a symphony, if you will, culminating in the glory of God, verse 36, the second 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. He worships, and that's our call too. That's our call as well.
Speaker 2:So if salvation listen to me if salvation has become routine for you, perhaps it's time to stop analyzing and start adoring. Or or if, if salvation has become familiar to you, maybe it's time to stop taking it for granted and start thanking God from your heart again. Let your heart say again oh the depth, how unsearchable To him be the glory. Don't lose the wonder. Don't lose the wonder. You might know the doctrines, but do you still feel the awe? Let the glory of God inspire fresh praise in your heart. And for those of you who struggle with this, let me just say to you you don't need to understand everything to worship god. Just remember. God saved you, he holds you, and god will complete what he began for his glory and for your good. If you are not saved. I mean if you are not saved, I mean if you are not a genuine follower of Jesus. Listen, you were created for God's glory, so come to him. Come to him in repentance and genuine faith. Be reconciled to God. Find your purpose in the one who gave everything for you.
Speaker 2:And this is not our only doxology this morning. This is not our only glory speech today. So if Romans 11 inspires us to marvel at God's wisdom, then Ephesians 1 encourages us to worship God for His grace. Let's turn there, ephesians 1. Go back over there in your Bibles. Ephesians 1 1.
Speaker 2:I want you to be able to look at the scripture. Look at the scripture. Don't just listen to my words. I'm not speaking my words. I'm just reading, saying what the word says. It really moves us to worship god for his grace. This is all about the glory of god's grace.
Speaker 2:So the apostle paul here starts this letter not with instructions but with praise, lifting our eyes to recognize the incredible blessings reserved for those who are in christ, that is to say for those who are saved. This is one of the most beautiful doxologies in all of scripture. The holy spirit, through through Paul, wants us to understand that salvation is lavished on us, not because of who we are, but because of who God is. So let's walk through it together. I need to read this one more time Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he has made us accepted in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to the pleasure which he has purposed in himself. Let's stop there. That's enough for now. We'll get the rest in a minute. So this passage really reveals the heartbeat of the gospel, and it's this Salvation is by God's grace, through Christ and for his glory. Salvation is by God's grace, through Christ, for his glory.
Speaker 2:Let's kind of walk through this just kind of at a pretty good clip here, so hang in here with me. First of all, what do we see? Well, we see we are blessed in christ. We are blessed in christ, blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in christ. Again, the apostle paul here starts with praise. Everything that follows then is based on this truth, and it's this. God has already blessed us holy and richly in christ. Now I need you to know these aren't. He's not talking about material blessings, he's not talking about temporary blessings. These are spiritual blessings. These are eternal blessings, things like forgiveness and adoption, and peace and hope and the Holy Spirit living within us. And these are blessings, praise God, that can never be taken away and can never fade over time. We have them all in Christ. We have them all in Christ and not through our effort, not through our status, but through our union with Jesus, through faith in Christ. We were chosen in Christ, just as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Speaker 2:Now, this verse often prompts questions, but it's intended to humble us and guide us to worship, because before we ever knew God, he knew us. Before we were born or did anything good or anything bad, god had a plan to rescue and restore. God chose to set His love on those who would come to Christ, not because of what we'd do, but because of his mercy. And this phrase in scripture is not about speculation, that's not the point. It's about celebration. It reminds us that salvation is not a reward, it's a gift in Christ. And also, I would add, it also teaches us that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. Look what else it says. It says we're adopted as his own, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. We preached a whole sermon on this some weeks back.
Speaker 2:God didn't just save you from sin, he brought you into his family. Isn't that good? He's not just some distant deity. No, he's a loving father. And you are not merely forgiven, you are claimed. This is this is the relational blessing of salvation adoption, salvation, adoption. You now belong, you are his and he'll never disown you.
Speaker 2:Verse five look at it. It was according to his will and 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, he wanted to. Your salvation is not fragile. You're not hanging on by a thread. If you're saved, it actually rests on God's joyful purpose. He delighted in making you His. And look at verse 6. All of this is to the praise of His glory. And look at verse 6. All of this is to the praise of His glory, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved.
Speaker 2:Now this little phrase, this refrain, this verse repeats through Ephesians 1. If I counted right, I think three times alone in this passage that we read Again why did God save us? Ultimately, to the praise of his glory, to the praise of the glory of his grace, not to showcase our worth, but to magnify his grace. What else does it say? It says we have redemption and forgiveness through his blood, meaning jesus's blood. Verse 7 in him, that's talking about jesus. We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. I think sometimes we mistake things, we get things wrong, and it's this. God's grace is neither soft nor is it sentimental, it's sacrificial. We need to be reminded, as I've tried to do over and over through this series, that it costs jesus everything to secure your forgiveness.
Speaker 2:He didn't just simply dismiss your sin. You know he doesn't do that right. He doesn't just dismiss your sin. He doesn't say oh honey, don't worry about it, it's okay. I know you can't help it, I'm just going to overlook that. No, he doesn't just simply dismiss your sin. No, what he did was is he paid for it in his own blood? He paid the penalty for it. He paid the punishment that I deserve, that you deserve. Look what else. We also see this grace that overflows with wisdom.
Speaker 2:Verse 7 through 8, according to the riches of His grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. I'm happy this morning that God didn'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 it overflowed. He knew exactly what we needed and he supplied it all through Christ. What we needed, and he supplied it all through Christ. I like Romans, chapter 5, verse 20, that says Moreover, the law entered. The law of God entered so that the offense, the sin, might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Praise God. I mean. Imagine this morning owing a billion dollars. Do you even know how much money that is? I have no idea. I hear about it all the time on the TV, how much we're in debt and how much everything costs and supposedly they're like getting back $9 billion here pretty quickly and I'm like okay.
Speaker 1:I guess, that's good.
Speaker 2:Is that a lot? Sounds like it's a lot. Imagine you owing a billion dollars. Would you have? Is there anybody in this room that would have a way to pay it off? Anybody, no, most of us couldn't even pay off a thousand dollars, much less a billion dollars. And then someone steps in, not only canceling your debt, but actually also depositing a fortune into your account.
Speaker 2:That's grace. God didn't just wipe your slate clean. He filled your life with every blessing in Christ. Why? Here it is? So that your life would become listen a living testimony to his glory. So that your life would become a living testimony to his glory.
Speaker 2:And all of this should lead to praise. I mean, it's how the Apostle Paul began this section and it's also how we should respond. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ. 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 Him and don't allow these truths to fade. Revisit them often and reignite your worship. Let grace, god's grace, guide you back to the wonder of it all, to awe. You are not saved because of who you are, but because of who Christ is, stand in that, rejoice in that. And if you are truly still an unbeliever I mean honestly not a Christian hear me, this grace is real, it's free, it's overflowing and you can't earn it, but you can receive it. Believe on Jesus today, right now, repent. That means turn around and believe In Christ Now, now. So If the first half of Ephesians, 1. 1, shows us what god has done to save us, the final part shows us why and how we are called to live in response. Y'all still doing good? All right, let's look back at it together.
Speaker 2:Second part of this we're going to pick up in verse 11. In him again meaning Jesus also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of his glory. In him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the holy spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. Here it is again to the praise of his glory, and so the bible here shows us that salvation not only and we and we praise god for this, we rejoice in this all the time. We were thanking the lord for it. We had a. We had a uh memorial service, celebration of life service here friday night and if you were here you know it was our brother, mike chitty, who was a church member here for nine years and and we were, we were just celebrating that his salvation secured his future and now he was with the Lord.
Speaker 2:But listen, the Bible shows us that salvation not only secures our future, but it also shapes our present. It shapes our present Right now. Right now, it transforms saved sinners into grateful worshipers and then it turns our lives into a song of praise to god and for god. Our life becomes that. Look what it says. It says we've received an eternal inheritance In Him, meaning it's all in Christ. Also, we have obtained an inheritance, and this inheritance isn't wealth, it isn't land, it isn't earthly treasures. That's not what this is talking about. We are going to have a new earth and a new heaven one day, but this is eternal life, this is fellowship with God, this is resurrection, hope, this is everlasting joy in his kingdom, and I'm grateful today to tell you. You don't need to wonder if it will come. You already have it secured in Christ and you're not earning it. You're receiving it by grace. Look what else it says God is working all things according to his will.
Speaker 2:Verse 11, second part according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Now, this verse, for me, really offers unwavering hope, and it's this god isn't just involved in salvation, he is working in all things. You know what that means. That means your past, he can redeem it. Your present, he's with you in it. And your future, he's already prepared it. And so your struggles, your waiting, your uncertainty, none of it is wasted. He is weaving it all together for his purpose and for his glory.
Speaker 1:The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. That's Isaiah 48. Thanks for tuning in to the Foundations of Truth podcast with Pastor Timothy Mann from Providence Church in Ormond Beach, Florida. Join us next time and until then, keep building your life on God's eternal truth, the Bible.
