Blessed In Christ Series

Blessed In Christ

Text: Eph. 1:3-14

Introduction

1. Illustration: A Roman historian named Titus Livius once said, "Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes.

2. There are many Christians today that walk around with an interiority complex because they do not realize the blessings that they have in Christ

a. They see themselves as unworthy of the blessings of Christ.

b. They see themselves as ill-prepared to do whatever God asks them to do.

3. However, Paul tells us a different story. He says that we are blessed in Christ with:

a. Every spiritual blessing

b. Adoption

c. Freedom

d. Inheritance

e. Holy Spirit

4. Read Eph. 1:3-14

5. I believe that if Paul were here today he would tell us that we need to recognize just how blessed we are as Christians. He would tell us to:

Proposition: Start living as if we are blessed in Christ.

Transition: First, we must realize that we have been blessed with...

I. Every Spiritual Blessing (3)

A. Every Spiritual Blessing

1. Paul says "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

a. The word that Paul is using here literally means "one who is worthy of blessings" (Rogers and Rogers, 434).

b. He is saying that God is worthy to receive our praises.

2. We are quick to praise God for what He has done for us, as well we should, but we also need to remember to praise Him for who He is.

a. Ps. 100:4-5 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

b. Illustration: It is like telling your wife you love her only because she cooks your supper and washes your clothes.

3. However, we also need to recognize what He has done for us. Paul says God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing..."

a. He has not blessed us with a few blessings, or some blessings, but every spiritual blessing.

b. He has given us every spiritual blessing we will ever need.

c. Notice that these blessings are not material, but spiritual.

d. They are spiritual blessings because the earth is too small to hold them (Jerome, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, vol. 8, 104).

4. Whatever we need to do what God desires of us has already been provided.

a. If you need the ability to witness, He has already given it to you.

b. If you need the faith to believe God for a miracle, He has already given it to you.

c. If you need to confront the demons in your life, He has already given you the power to do it.

d. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing.

B. Heavenly Places

1. He has given us these blessings in the "heavenly realms because you are united with Christ."

2. There is a realm of existence that we deal with every day that you cannot touch, smell, or taste.

3. It is a realm that you cannot see with your eyes, but like the wind you know its there.

4. 2 Cor. 10:3-4 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments (NLT).

5. There is a realm where we come face to face with Satan and all of his workers of iniquity on a daily basis.

a. We need to know that it is a fight that we do not have to run from.

b. It is a fight that we do not have to shy away from.

c. It is a fight that we can win because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in that realm.

Transition: He has also...

II. Blessed With Adoption (4-6)

A. Chosen

1. Paul says "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ "

a. You can look at this in every concordance known to man and it is still going to mean God chose us.

b. He hand picked us to be His children.

2. The simple fact is, He chose us, we didn’t choose Him.

3. Jn. 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me…”

a. Again we see that God took the initiative; not us.

b. We cannot come to Jesus on our own.

c. It is God who chooses us, and then draws us in His direction.

4. What was that purpose? First, "to be holy and without blame in His eyes..."

a. He chose us to be holy, set apart, consecrated, and with out spot or defect.