Psychologists have identified what is often known as an existential desire for acceptance. The describing there is something that's true of humanity in their nature. There's a desire to be accepted, to be understood, to be valued, to be acknowledged by others. In old language, to be in the favor of others. I was on my computer this week and I thought I would play with AI, one of these AI devices. And so I typed into AI, explain to me what an existential desire for acceptance is. You can do this. This is really incredible. Young people know this already, but it was new to me. And so I typed this question. Can you explain to me what an existential desire for acceptance is? And the answer actually was very, very interesting as they trawled the internet and pulled these various psychologist reports and ideas. Of course, this is secular, this is not spiritual. He says this, AI, whoever AI was, this need arises from an awareness of our own mortality. Isolation and life's inherent uncertainties leading to a strong inclination to belong and be recognized as part of something larger than oneself. Isn't that remarkably profound? And this is some computer trolling the reports of psychologists on the issue of acceptance and coming up with the right answer. That there is, and again, this is not reporting to a Christian or even using the Bible. It's suggesting that there is within mankind an awareness of mortality, isolation, uncertainty, and there is therefore within man a desire to belong. I wonder how it got there. Got there because we are made in God's image. Well, AI continued. Essentially, it signifies a desire to be accepted for one's true self, including all flaws in the face of life's challenges and complexities. It involves more than merely being liked or socially approved. It encompasses being seen and understood for one's authentic self, including vulnerabilities and imperfections. AI recognizes the imperfection and the sinfulness of men. And yet within that sinful state, there is still this desire for acceptance. The social media age in which we live has enhanced that. There's such a thing again, as you will know, of social media anxiety. You post a picture or a comment and you spend the next few hours looking back to see who liked your comment or your picture. What's that all about? this desire for acceptance. So more and more now, as the algorithms are getting cleverer, or more corrupt, there is this recognition that I can post certain things that will be popular in my own particular mindset. And so again, people find their acceptance now in sharing things that are really trying to promote acceptance of their particular grouping, whatever that may be. And this can go from sport, to politics, to religion, you name it, you can find your acceptance in some particular group. If you can learn to play that algorithm, you can find your acceptance in a social media sphere. You see, this recognition for a need for acceptance does indeed describe a true human condition. But it is yet another time when sinful man can perceive a problem, but don't know how to address it. They can see the problem. They're not stupid in the sense of intellectual abilities. They can read circumstances and situations. They can perceive the problem, but they have no idea how to fix it. You see, our Bible presents union with Christ as addressing the sinner's every problem. Last time we were together we saw those four terms that were used at the end of 1 Corinthians 1 really encompass every single need of the sinner. And pretty much you can put any need into those four categories and it'll fit. It's an all-encompassing picture of in Christ there is wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Every part of our depravity is answered by Christ Jesus. He is indeed the answer to the sinner's problems. Thus every blessing from Christ presents the solution to a particular sin problem. And thus when you read of a blessing, you're also reading of an implied problem. And so when you read in Ephesians 1 verse number 6, that we're accepted in the beloved, that blessing is a blessing that is the answer to a particular sin problem. And the Bible is therefore presenting to us this inherent recognition in the heart of man that they need to be accepted, first and foremost, by the God that they deny. It's where all real healthy living begins, having that right standing before God. And then secondarily, it may well be having that acceptance amongst men in the fellowship of a local church. So tonight, I certainly encourage the sinner to seek acceptance with God. And yet again, the question is, where will you find that? You will find it in Christ and in Christ alone. And so our topic tonight in this series is acceptance with God through our union with Christ. Chapter one, verse number six, he has made us accepted in the beloved alongside chapter two, verse number 13, but now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ accepted. It's a precious word. Christ has brought us into favor. Acceptance of God the Father endeared us to him that we might find grace in his sight. Again, the word, again, there's debates over the two words that are used here for acceptance, a particular construct used in this verse. It's used also, again, regarding Mary in Luke chapter one. Heal, thou art highly favored. But here, the context and the language, to my mind, is really given very good expression by our authorized version, where it gives some flavor to the words, where it says, for then he hath made us accepted and beloved. It's describing in the work of Christ to bring us into the fever of God's. To be accepted is to be in the fever of another. Social media, you gotta like. You're in their favor. You're accepted by them. Again, in a school classroom, you're in the favor of a certain company or group. You're in their favor. That's the idea. The language speaks of God's grace here. We're in the grace and in the favor of God. Think Esther and the king. She's in his favor. She's accepted by the king as she goes to make her petitions. Accepted, in the favor of, and in through the word of Christ Jesus. So you'll see in your outline, I have five things, five headings that I want to move through quickly tonight. I only had two this morning, so you get five tonight to make up for the imbalance. So there are five of these headings to help us through this material tonight. First of all, I want you to think about the wonder of this. The wonder of our acceptance. This word, to my mind, implies a change. Again, I've said already that the word, it can mean to cause, to find favor, Or it could mean even to endue with grace. It's just the wording in the original. It can be to make someone gracious or to cause someone to find favor. Now, given the connection that I see in chapter two, again, I think our authorized version has this right. It's not describing that we are made gracious in the beloved. That's actually taught elsewhere. In Christ we're a new creature. But here it's describing what the word of Christ does in bringing us into the favor of God. Because again chapter 2 verse 12 describes that we're without Christ at that time. But then verse 13 we are then made nigh by the blood of Christ. So chapter 1 verse 7 refers to Christ's blood in language of redemption. Accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption. Chapter 2, again verse 12 and 13, we were afar off, outside Christ, made nigh by the blood of Christ. And so all of this, to my mind, it has this idea of implying a change. To be made accepted, have made us accepted, implies a state of alienation and enmity. that those who were accepted into God's favor are those who by nature are out of God's favor. And it is that change that highlights the wonder of this. Because this change is a change that is altogether remarkable when you think of our condition by nature. So I've given you four D's to highlight this. And the first one describes the distance here. It's a metaphor that's used again over in chapter two, verse 13. Sometimes we're far off. It helps us to get the picture, doesn't it? The distance between the sinner and the eternal God is immeasurable. It's not that we're far off. But we can get a little closer. It is the distance that is so great, we cannot make up that distance. But in the language here of Ephesians chapter 2, this metaphor of distance is used to describe spiritual realities. Again, verse number 12, they were aliens from the calm of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Again, let me just highlight one thing. They're outside the covenant. So in the Old Testament, God made covenant with Israel, and key to that covenant is the provision of the offerings and the sacrifices. Again, I've been reading Leviticus in my devotions in the last couple of days, and time and time again, the priests shall make atonement and you shall be forgiven. That's part and parcel of the Old Covenant. There was provision made whereby sinners can have their sin dealt with. Those pictures and types and shadows come to fruition in the coming of Christ Jesus, who in the shed of his blood provides the price of our redemption. And so in the new covenant, our sins and our iniquities are remembered no more. So if you are a far off from God, what does that actually mean? What's that describing in terms of your spiritual condition? It means that you're guilty before God. If the remedy is forgiveness, the problem is guilt. And that guilt you have renders you at an immeasurable distance from God. Your sins separate you from God. And you cannot span that distance by being a better person, by giving all your money to the church. You can't span the distance by any effort of yourself. It's a distance that you cannot come over. That's the tragedy of the lost condition due to your guilt. And of course, when you consider that, and you then see what that actually means in reality, you see these other things that are not necessarily contained in Ephesians, but are also true. Again, we here accepted are those who were at distance due to your guilt, but we're also those who were defiled. The Lord is pristine in his purity, but we all are as an unclean thing, Isaiah chapter 64. And of ourselves, we're filthy in the sight of God. So much so that God turns His eyes away from us. He cannot behold us in our sin, or defilement, or darkness. God is light and we are dark. God's light speaks His holiness, but our unholiness speaks of darkness. And what fellowship? Communion hath light with darkness, or depravity. God is good, but the Apostle Paul says that I know that it's in my flesh to love no good thing. You see, we can abound in terms of all of these things, but they all highlight the wonder of our acceptance. Again, that is remarkable. Oh, a king, a king in a far off land in ancient days may well have gladly accepted a visit from a king from another realm. They bring their gifts and their chariots, and you see language like this in the Old Testament scriptures, and one king will accept another king into their presence. That's another thing for the king to accept if you like, poverty, someone in the very dregs of society. no money, no clothing coming in their bare feet, their clothes are ripped, they smell, all of those things. It would be a wonderful thing for the king to accept such, but that could happen. It's another degree altogether when the king accepts the rebel, the one who sought to overthrow his throne, who has said and screamed I will not have this king rule over me. And in nature and practice defile themselves against the purity of the king's reign. And yet the king accepts such. It is a wonder, is it not? You had no desire for God in your life. You hated the Lord God. You shook your fist in God's face. And yet God says, come. And he draws us nigh. The wonder of our acceptance. Which leads secondly to the work that enables our acceptance. Again Ephesians chapter 1 says, And then note the connection here. In whom we have redemption. We're accepted in the beloved. Because in the beloved there is redemption. In other words, redemption is the ground of our being accepted. If it is true, and it is, that our prior distance, our prior alienation is due to our sin, then acceptance can only occur on the ground of our sin being dealt with. Hence it is redemption through His blood. Chapter 1, verse 7. Or chapter 2, verse 13. We sometimes are far off or made nigh by the blood of Christ. It's all of Christ. Our works cannot make us accept that we are as an unclean thing. But it is by Christ's work that sinners can be brought into God's presence on just and proper grounds. He comes and dies. We come to believe in him. Christ represents those who trust in him. Hence his death is ours. His payment for sin is the payment for our sin. So you consider all that Christ has worked to make us accept it. First of all, he pays the ransom. This language of redemption, you'll know to redeem something is to deliver someone, let's make it personal, someone from some sort of bondage. You could redeem a slave. You could redeem someone under a debt, a financial debt. There's redemption, but it involves the payment of a price. If you keep your finger in Ephesians, but turn back to Romans chapter 3, I want to remind you there that this language of redemption is closely connected, again, to the matter of our forgiveness, our justification, and our peace with God. Romans chapter three, verse number 23, for all have sinned, I'm gonna paraphrase this, and are at a great distance from God due to your guilt, short of God's glory, being justified freely by his grace through the redemptions in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth in appreciation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. I'm not going into the detail of that text. But note the terms, they're connected, redemption. The purchased price to deliver us from sin. Propitiation, the wrath of God is satisfied. by the blood of Christ, which we then come to believe in. Hence, we're justified and we're forgiven. These terms that come, you know them very, very well. But note, the ground of our acceptance is the ground of blood, which secures our forgiveness and our justification. Because of Christ's blood, we can be forgiven. And as those who are forgiven, we can be accepted. You know these things. He pays the ransom. But the Lord God also pursues the sinner. Those who are far off don't walk to God themselves. I'm gonna really mix metaphors here, but I want you to think about the shepherd and the sheep that's lost. And the shepherd goes and pursues the lost sheep and puts the sheep upon his shoulders and carries the sheep all the way home to great rejoicing. You see, what you see here in our acceptance As it is through Christ and His work, He pays the ransom for our sins, and then He pursues us. Believers don't so much find God as they are found of God. Accepted in Him on the grounds of redemption, verse number seven, which comes to forgiveness. And all this language, Romans 3 or Ephesians 1, forgiveness comes as we trust in Christ, as we believe on Christ. And according to Ephesians 2 verse 8, that's a gift of God. Christ pays the ransom. He pursues the sinner. And he then presents the sinner. He made us accepted. He brought us nigh, verse number 13 of chapter two. Or in Peter's language, Christ died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. John Flavel is my favorite Puritan. He has a wonderful sermon in Volume 2 of his works on Ephesians 1 and the verse number 6. And he makes this point. Christ leads every believer as it were by the hand into the gracious presence of God. After this manner be speaking acceptance for him. And he now quotes and gives a picture in his mind what this looks like. These are the words of Christ's father. Here is a poor soul that was born in sin, has lived in rebellion against thee all his days. He has broken all thy laws and deserved all thy wrath. Yet he is one of that number which they gave me before the world was. I have made full payment by my blood for all his sins. I have opened his eyes to see the sinfulness and misery of his condition. broken his heart for his rebellions against thee, bowed his will in obedience unto thy will, united him to myself by faith as a member of my body. And now, Lord, since he's become mine by regeneration, let him be thine also by special acceptance. Let the same love with which thy lovest me embrace him also. He is now become mine. My fable here is taking some spiritual liberties. He's drawing a picture in our minds, but it's very, very valid. Do you believe for a second if you were in God's court, and God says, you're justified, you're forgiven, you're righteous in my sight, that somehow you'd know the way to God? You need Christ to bring you into God's presence. Said the Father, I've died for this one. My blood's been shed for this one. I present this one to you. I am your beloved. He or she is now in union with me. As you love me, so love him. It is no accident that Paul chose the term beloved here in chapter one, verse six. He does not say accepted in Christ or accepted in the Son. Those equivalent terms could be used, but it's emphasizing the fact that as a father loves the son, so the father loves those who are in the son. In Christ is redemption. We are in union with Christ and we are redeemed and therefore necessarily we are accepted. It leads thirdly to the words of our acceptance. I just want to highlight the terms that are used here. Made nigh is used over in chapter two and the verse number 13, we're made nigh. We're told by the authorities this is a term of endurance. It refers to someone taken into the very bosom of another and embraced. One man says this, made nigh is to be brought right into the fellowship of the triune God. If the Bible didn't say it, we could hardly imagine it. That we are brought into the very fellowship of God. We saw this in John chapter 16. We'll see in our coming stories in John 17, this closeness. Christ brings a sinner into the presence of God made nigh. But also please note something here in chapter 1 verse 5. Because there's a connection here we shouldn't miss. Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. Wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. And the connecting thought is grace. The grace of God. By the grace of God, we are made children, adopted into the children of God, and by the same grace, we're accepted. And that then connects well with what's said over in chapter 2 and the verse 19, where we are described as being fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. There's connections here where the children of God in chapter 1 were now called the household of God in chapter 2 in the very context of us being brought nigh. We're not brought nigh as servants of your like, we're brought nigh as sons. And so if he's in chapter 1, what does redemption do? Verse 7, it brings us into acceptance. In Galatians 4, it is said that Christ came into the world to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. Ephesians 1, redemption into acceptance. Galatians 4, redemption into adoption. Therefore, acceptance and adoption, the same thing. The words of our acceptance are the words where God says, you're my son, you're my daughter, you're a child of the most high gods. Because God adopts us into his family. That's the nature of our acceptance here. It's at the highest level that we're made heirs and joint heirs of Christ as the sons of God. Which leads forthly to the welcome of our acceptance. And here I draw your attention to the language of chapter two and the verse number 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Again, the context leads on to this thought. We who once were afar off now have access by one's spirit unto the Father. Same word used over in chapter 3 in the verse number 12. In whom? That is in Christ. We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. We have access and boldness in God's presence. We've accessed by faith, again, Romans 5, into the grace where we stand. You see, we saw this morning that it is the knowledge of truth that fixes our hearts. If you are accepted in Christ, And if you're a believer, you are, then your heart is fixed to remember at all times that you're accepted despite your unworthiness. And when the devil comes and says, you have no right to approach the presence of God, you can say, you're wrong. My worth is not in myself, but it's in the beloved. And as my acceptance is in my union with you, son of God, so I therefore have the rights to come to the throne of grace. We are accepted, are welcomed into God's presence. Let us draw nigh with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from evil conscience, our bodies washed with pure water. We are welcome into God's presence. That will be your joy when we die. We'll be carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, as it were. It will be your joy in the resurrection day, welcomed into the eternal state. Do you know your standing doesn't change from today to that day? You will be no more righteous in the day of your death, no more righteous in the day of Christ's return than you are right now. Therefore you have the access to God's presence right now, this very moment, this very night. Treasure your acceptance and the welcome that comes from it. Which leads finally just to some, what I've called some wherefores. Just some practical application from this. And bear with me, I have six of these. They're very brief, they're just comments. First of all, in light of our acceptance in Christ, we must greatly value Christ. Gotta go back to the basics. You see, you shouldn't appreciate the experience and forget the one who made that experience possible. Again, there are some, and they delight in what they claim to be their religious privileges of prayer and fellowship and worship of the Most High God, but they have no regard for Christ. You see, it's when we understand they're accepted and they're beloved, it then moves us to check our hearts and to make sure that we have the highest esteem for the Savior, that we delight in Christ Jesus, that He is all in all to our souls, that we esteem Him greatly, we delight in Him. He who is loved by the Father, the lover of our souls, is the one that we love first. Gotta come back to this. we can easily leave our first love and fall down that slippery path of unbelief. So in the consideration of our acceptance in Christ, let us therefore greatly value Christ. Secondly, our relationship with others should take into account our acceptance with God. And I say this particularly to the young generation among us. Again, understandably want to fit into this world. And they want to know that existential desire for acceptance. They're conscious that they know it in their experience. Now it is entirely appropriate to seek favor with man. all sought of a conscience void of offense towards man and towards God. Christ himself in Job and Luke chapter two is said to increase with favor with God and man. It's right and proper for us to want to be approved of by our neighbors, that's appropriate. We don't deliberately be belligerent and rude and unpleasant. But when the world hates us, it doesn't matter one jot. That's what it comes down to. If I'm a Christian, I'm accepted by God. I don't care if the world rejects me. It doesn't matter. I'm accepted by God. That's where self-worth and self-identity finds its foundation. Not in being popular with the world and popular on Instagram or Facebook or somewhere else. It is being in the favor of God. That's what really matters. So you get this right, you're on the right way to a stable, healthy life. Thirdly, in light of our acceptance by God, we must exercise great care in how we treat others who are accepted by God. When I have the joy of doing premortal counseling, I always begin generally with a cup of coffee and I set the scene and I tell the couple, If they're believers, you realize you're martyring a saved sinner. And I emphasize to the couple, to the husband and the wife, that they must understand they're martyring someone who will let them down, who will disappoint. He will say the wrong word and look the wrong way and do all manner of things that may offend and cause genuine offense. That's part of being martyred to a sinner. But one of the most important things to prevent such a misuse of marriage is to remember you're also marrying a saint in God's sight. If you're marrying a believer, you're marrying someone who's been accepted of God. And if someone's been accepted by God, you better be careful how you treat them. What you say to them and about them That doesn't mean you never have to rebuke, or deal with sin, or reprove, or exhort, all of those things. Of course, the Bible's full of that. But you do so in a manner that recognizes that soul is in the favor of God. I'm gonna be very, very careful how I treat someone who's in God's favor. Fourthly, this one I got directly from Flavel. This is a wonderful thought. I hadn't thought of this myself. He said this. we should value the prayers of those accepted by God. He says this, if all believers be in favor with God, how great a mercy it is to have the prayers of such engaged in our behalf. It's such an obvious thought, I've never thought about it. When your name is uttered in a church prayer meeting, you're being prayed for by a company that's in the favor of God. That's mind-blowing. And so Flavel continues, says this, would we have our business speed in heaven? Let us get in the favor of God ourselves and engage the prayers of people, the favorites of heaven for us. One believer can do much. Many can do more. When Daniel designed to get the knowledge of that secret, hinted in the obscure dream of the king, which none but the God of heaven can make known, it is said Daniel 2 verse 17, then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known unto Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they would desire mercy to the God of heaven concerning a secret. The benefit of such assistance and prayer by the help of others, favorites of God, plainly intimate by Christ Jesus to us, if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done of them of my Father which is in heaven. God sometimes stands upon a number of voices for the caring of such public mercy, because he delighteth in the harmony of many praying souls. and also loves to oblige and gratify many in the answer and return of the same prayer. You think of the church gathered in Acts chapter 12, praying for Peter in prison. They prayed with one accord, and they saw the answer with their own eyes in that gathered company. Brethren and sisters, ask each other to pray for you. in the knowledge you're asking for prayers of those who've been accepted of God. Now, fifthly, I want you to see the seriousness of sin against the God who's accepted you. You consider all the grace of God in bringing you into His favor. You who were a rebel in His sight and you are now a son of God. It is no light thing to trivialize sin and rebellion in the sight of God. Don't treat sin as a light thing. God accepted you. Every sin is rebellion against the God who has brought you into his favor. Sixthly and finally, one line, urge others to find acceptance with God in Christ Jesus. See, we have an opening in this present evil age, this recognition of an existential desire for acceptance. The world feel it. They're trying to find the solutions in all the wrong places. We have the answer. His name is Jesus. Let's bow together in prayer. Oh, eternal God and Father in heaven, again, we thank you, O Lord, for these truths that are considered again tonight and turned over in our minds. What a wonderful thing it is to be accepted of God. And we thank you, dear Father, for your grace and for your mercy in sending Christ and then in Christ pursuing our souls. and bringing us near the one who died, the just for the unjust to bring us to you. We thank you, O God, for these things. Help us to delight in this, to rejoice, O God, to be careful with our own hearts and to preserve the fellowship that we enjoy. O eternal God, fill us with your Spirit. Help us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh this week. Governor, hearts and minds, bless us together. May we leave here with your favor, resting and abiding upon us, the blessing of the triune God, as we pray in Christ's name. Amen.