Day 15 – All Glory Belongs to God

The Gospel Leads Us to Worship

Today we reach the end of the first half of The Open Gospel.

Over the past fourteen days, we have explored some of the most fundamental truths of the Gospel.

We have seen that:

• We need salvation because of sin.
• The Gospel was God’s plan from the beginning.
• God promised blessing to all nations through Abraham.
• The suffering Servant was promised.
• Jesus is the Lamb of God.
• The Kingdom has come near.
• The Word became flesh.
• We need salvation because we cannot save ourselves.
• We are saved by grace through faith.
• We are justified by faith apart from works.
• Faith receives Christ.
• Christ finished the work of salvation.
• Christ is our only Mediator.
• Those who have the Son have eternal life.

And now we must ask:

Who receives the glory for all of this?

The answer is clear:

God alone.

Paul begins Ephesians 1 with praise:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

The Gospel begins with God.

God planned redemption.

God sent His Son.

Christ accomplished salvation.

The Holy Spirit seals those who believe.

And the proper response is worship.

The Gospel does not make us proud of ourselves.

It makes us grateful for what God has done.

Salvation Begins With God

Before we ever searched for God, God had already begun His work.

Before we understood the Gospel, God had already planned redemption.

Before we could do anything to save ourselves, God provided His Son.

Ephesians 1 takes us into the greatness of God’s eternal purpose.

Paul speaks about God’s choosing, adoption, redemption, forgiveness, inheritance, and the Holy Spirit.

The emphasis is not:

“Look what we have achieved.”

It is:

“Look what God has done.”

That is why Paul begins with praise.

We Were Chosen for Adoption

Paul says that God:

“predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.”

Think about the language.

Adoption.

God does not merely rescue sinners from judgement.

He brings those who belong to Christ into His family.

Salvation brings us into a relationship with our heavenly Father.

What an incredible gift.

We did not earn our way into God’s family.

God adopted us through Christ.

Therefore, the glory belongs to Him.

Redemption Is Through Christ

Paul says:

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

We have already looked at the cross.

Jesus said:

“It is finished.”

Today we see the purpose of that finished work.

Redemption.

The word carries the idea of being bought back or released through a price.

And the price was not silver.

It was not gold.

It was not religious achievement.

It was the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

His blood was shed for sinners.

Therefore, when we speak about salvation, we must never remove the cross.

There is no Gospel without Christ’s sacrifice.

And because salvation is found in Christ, our response is not boasting.

It is worship.

Forgiveness Is God’s Gift

Paul speaks of:

“the forgiveness of sins.”

Think about what that means.

The sins we could not erase—

God forgives.

The guilt we could not remove—

Christ dealt with it through His saving work.

The debt we could not pay—

Christ paid.

The separation we could not overcome—

Christ opened the way to reconciliation.

Therefore, forgiveness should produce worship.

When we understand what God has done for us, we should not say:

“Look how good I am.”

We should say:

“Look how gracious God is.”

Our Inheritance Is From God

Paul also speaks about believers receiving an inheritance.

This reminds us that salvation is not simply rescue from something.

It is also receiving something wonderful from God.

We receive an eternal hope.

We belong to God’s family.

We have an inheritance that does not perish.

Again, notice the direction:

God gives.

We receive.

God deserves the glory.

The Holy Spirit Is God’s Seal

Paul then speaks about the Holy Spirit:

“When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to His people.

He is the guarantee of our inheritance.

This connects beautifully with yesterday’s message about assurance.

Our confidence does not come from ourselves.

God has given His Spirit.

The Father planned salvation.

The Son accomplished salvation.

The Holy Spirit applies God’s work in the life of the believer.

And all three persons of the Trinity are involved in God’s great work of redemption.

Salvation Is God’s Work From Beginning to End

Look at the movement of Ephesians 1.

The Father chooses and adopts.

The Son redeems through His blood.

The Spirit seals believers.

This does not mean that human faith is unnecessary.

We have repeatedly seen that we must believe and receive Christ.

But our faith does not become a reason for boasting.

Even our salvation rests upon God’s grace.

The more deeply we understand the Gospel, the more our hearts should say: “Praise be to God.”

Why All Glory Belongs to God

If salvation were something we achieved, we could boast.

If salvation depended upon our religious performance, we could boast.

If salvation depended upon our righteousness, we could boast.

But the Gospel destroys boasting.

Paul says elsewhere:

“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus… Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”

The Gospel leaves us with one proper response:

Worship.

A Message for the People of the East

This message is especially important wherever Christian faith has become closely associated with cultural identity, religious heritage, or human tradition.

There is a danger that we can begin to take pride in:

Our church.

Our tradition.

Our history.

Our ceremonies.

Our religious identity.

But the Gospel asks us to look higher.

Not:

“How great is our tradition?”

But:

“How great is our God?”

Not:

“What have our ancestors accomplished?”

But:

“What has Christ accomplished?”

Not:

“How can we receive glory?”

But:

“How can God receive all the glory?”

Our Christian heritage may tell us where we came from.

But only Christ can save us.

The centre is Christ.

The authority is God’s Word.

The purpose is God’s glory.

Tradition Must Never Take God’s Place

Tradition may have historical value.

Culture may have beauty.

Christian heritage may be precious.

But none of these should become the foundation of our confidence before God.

The foundation is Christ.

The authority is God’s Word.

The purpose is God’s glory.

This is why The Open Gospel exists.

Not to create another tradition.

Not to create another religious system.

But to point people back to the Gospel revealed in Scripture.

Away from human pride.
Away from self-reliance.
Away from religious boasting.
And toward Christ.

All Glory Belongs to God

This must become one of the defining truths of The Open Gospel.

Salvation is God’s gift.

Christ is God’s provision.

The cross is God’s grace revealed.

The resurrection is God’s victory.

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift.

Eternal life is God’s promise.

Therefore:

All glory belongs to God.

Not partly to God and partly to us.

Not God plus human achievement.

God alone deserves the ultimate glory.

The Invitation

If God has done all this for us, how should we respond?

Worship Him.

Give Him thanks.

Trust Him.

Rest in His promises.

Obey Him.

Live according to His Word.

Serve Him.

Use your life for His purposes.

Proclaim Him.

Tell others about Jesus.

Glorify Him.

Let your life point people toward God.

The Gospel does not produce passive religion.

It produces transformed people who live for God’s glory.