Our Inheritance Secured

Recently, I realized that I needed a gospel tune-up. I was long overdue for regular maintenance—an oil change, if you will. Over time, I found myself carrying a growing sense of shame, and as I reflected on it, I realized that if I had been preaching the gospel to myself, I likely wouldn’t have found myself in as rough a condition as I had. That recognition is the reason I’m preaching from this passage today. Because I believe Ephesians 1:3-14 offers a correction to my heart—one that helps me live from a life marked by grace, rather than limping along in ways that I eventually break down. And since we’re already using car imagery, there’s another picture I often return to when I need to reorient my heart. When I was a kid, I loved hopping into the car with my dad. Almost every time, I would ask—despite the fact that I should have learned by then—“Where are we going?” And my dad would always respond, “Crazy.” As in, we’re going crazy. One of many elite-tier dad jokes. Looking back, I love that memory—especially as I think about how it relates to my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Because what I’m learning is this: as long as I’m with my Father, He will get me where I need to be. He always knew the destination—and we always got there. And that’s where this passage meets us. It’s not right thinking that produces right living and then results in assurance. Scripture tells a different story. Our salvation is first accomplished through Christ. That finished work then reshapes our minds, and over time, that renewed mind deepens our assurance......