Sermon Central
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Do You Know How Rich You Are? Series
Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jan 10, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Do you know your net worth? Do you feel as if your liabilities outweigh your assets? Not according to Heaven’s Balance Sheet!
DO YOU KNOW HOW RICH YOU ARE?
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in
Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be
holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us
in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to
his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their
fulfillment-- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under
one head, even Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be
for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were
marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the
redemption of those who are God’s possession-- to the praise of his
glory.
(NIV)
DO YOU KNOW HOW RICH YOU ARE?
Do You know your net worth? Your net worth is calculated by adding together all your
ASSETS and subtracting all your LIABILITIES!
How much would your net worth be? A couple of hundred bucks? You’d be surprised!
However, those calculations are really only a PARTIAL PICTURE!
Your real net worth is discovered “IN CHRIST”
Your Balance Sheet in the Bank of Heaven
1) You are BLESSED with EVERY BLESSING (vs. 3)
When Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for His Church, He made it possible for
us to share His Spiritual Riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus paid it all! His death on
the cross and His resurrection make possible our salvation. He wrote us into His will, then
He died so that the will would be in force. Then He rose again that He Himself might
become the lawyer to make sure the terms of the will were correctly followed.
Some of the things Jesus has given us in His will:
a) we have redemption through his blood,(vs.7)
b) the forgiveness of sins, (vs.7)
c) wisdom and understanding (vs.8)
d) he made known to us the mystery of his will (vs. 9)
In fact, Paul told the Colossians in chapter 2, verse 10
“You have everything when you have Christ!” (TLB)
Since God has given you EVERY BLESSING, what do you lack? NOTHING!!!
2) You are in a FAVORED POSITION (vs 4 & 5)
You are CHOSEN & CHOICE!
God was thinking of you long before you ever thought of Him!
His purpose for your life predates your conception. Jeremiah 29:11-12 states:
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He planned the purpose of your life before
you existed, without your imput! You may choose your career your spouse, your hobbies,
and many other parts of your life, but you do not get to choose your purpose!
And here it is! (vs 4) “You are CHOSEN to be HOLY & BLAMELESS”
What God wants to do is to use you as an example of what His love can do in a life! You can
never be holy & blameless without Him, only in Him!
(vs. 5) You’ve been ADOPTED, giving you all the rights of your INHERITANCE!
Adoption is NOT your entrance into God’s Family. You get into the Family of God by
REGENERATION -
John 3:3 - Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again." (NIV)
1 Pet 1:23 - For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,
through the living and enduring word of God.
(NIV)
Adoption is an ACT of God by which He gives his Born again children an ADULT standing
in the family so that they might immediately receive an inheritance! In the Roman world, a
father had absolute power over his children as long as he lived. One was not considered a
