In "God's Plan," the inaugural sermon of the "God's House" series, Garrett celebrates Ephesians 1:3-14 as a profound doxology praising God's eternal blueprint to choose and adopt believers as holy sons and daughters through Christ, long before creation's foundation, transforming our fractured world through grace-filled redemption. Drawing from personal experience with adoption, the message highlights how God's lavish forgiveness via Christ's blood unites heaven and earth, sealing Gentiles and Jews alike with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of inheritance, inviting all into His family despite our failures. This divine strategy calls the church not to merely avoid worldly brokenness but to embody righteousness, fostering praise and humble participation in God's redemptive purpose for His household.

"God's Plan" kicks off the "God's House" sermon series with a heartfelt introduction from Garrett, expressing gratitude for the trust to preach and committing to faithful study of Scripture, particularly Ephesians as the ultimate guide to understanding and living out the church's identity. Rooted in the exuberant, one-sentence doxology of Ephesians 1:3-14, the sermon unveils God's pre-creation strategy: electing us in love for holiness and blamelessness, predestining adoption as sons through Jesus, and lavishing grace that redeems our sins with Christ's blood, ultimately reconciling the sundered realms of heaven and earth at time's fullness. Through a poignant personal testimony of adopting a child from foster care—mirroring God's unconditional embrace despite challenges—the preacher emphasizes that this plan invites broken humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, into divine sonship, sealed by the Holy Spirit as inheritance's down payment, compelling a response of wholehearted praise, humility before God's Word, and active steps like baptism to join this eternal family where righteousness reshapes the world.

Introduction

-Personal Greeting and Commitment: Express excitement and humility in serving as minister, promising diligent study, prayer, and growth in preaching and living God's Word.
- Church Context: Review Oak Hollows core values (loving God/neighbor, truth in Scripture, grace/redemption/sanctification, belonging/purpose, transparent leadership) and select Ephesians as the ideal book for exploring the church's identity and practice.
- Series Overview: Introduce "God's House" as a study of the church per Ephesians, urging humble approach to let Scripture shape us, avoiding self-imposed structures; liken to parental rules under their roof.
- Passage Hook: Display world image to contrast "religious ideals" with "real-world brokenness" post-Genesis 3; pivot to Ephesians' call not just to avoid the world but to change it through God's pre-foundation plan.
- Thesis: Ephesians 1:3-14 is a 202-word Greek doxology of praise for God's eternal plan inviting us into His family home via grace, demanding praise as our response.
- Preview: Explore the plan's praise-worthy elements—election/adoption (past), redemption/unity (present), sealing/inheritance (future).

I. The Plan's Foundation: Election and Adoption in Eternal Love (vv. 3-6)

A. Doxology of Blessing (v. 3): Praise God who blesses us in Christ with every heavenly spiritual gift; recognize the passage's unified flow as one praise statement.
B. Chosen for Holiness (v. 4): Before creation, God selected us in Him to be holy/blameless, foreseeing our failure yet planning restoration—not our merit, but His initiative.
C. Predestined for Sonship (vv. 5-6): In love, He adopts us as sons through Jesus per His will, producing praise for His glorious grace in the Beloved.
Illustration/Application: Share foster-to-adoption story of youngest child—unconditional love despite challenges mirrors God's thrill in claiming us; reflect: How does grace free you from self-reliance to praise?

II. The Plan's Execution: Redemption and Cosmic Unity (vv. 7-12)

A. Forgiveness Lavished (vv. 7-8): Redemption through Christ's blood forgives trespasses per grace's riches, abounding in wisdom/insight for the unworthy.
B. Mystery Revealed (vv. 9-10): God's purpose in Christ unites all—heaven/earth—at time's fullness, mending sin's rift from Eden's harmony to curse.
C. Inheritance for the Faithful (vv. 11-12): Predestined per His counsel, Jews as "first to hope" praise His glory; counters worldly doubt in God's ways, echoing Adam/Eve's choice.
- Application: Challenge: Shift from "nice concepts" to righteous reality—how will you forgive/extend unity today, trusting God's plan over cultural spirals?

III. The Plan's Seal: Inclusion and Eternal Guarantee (vv. 13-14)

A. Gospel Response (v. 13): Gentiles, hearing/believing truth, are marked/sealed with the promised Holy Spirit alongside Jews.
B. Spirit as Down Payment (v. 14): He guarantees inheritance until God's possession, involving Trinity (Father plans, Son accomplishes, Spirit seals).
C. Culminating Praise (v. 14): Entire doxology—from grace (v. 6) to glory (vv. 12, 14)—fuels worship as outflow of adoption's honor.
- Application: View church not as "perfect" but as grace-appreciating family of failures loved into purpose; cultivate praise through acknowledging needs met by God.