You Are Blessed Series

Charles Spurgeon made this observation on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. “The epistle to the Ephesians is a complete body of divinity. In the first chapter, you have the doctrines of the gospel, and the next, you have the experience of the Christian, and before the epistle finishes you have the precepts of the Christian faith. Whoever would see Christianity in one document, let him read, mark, learn, learn and inwardly digest the epistle to the Ephesians.” Our goal for the next few podcasts in this series is to do just that. There is so much to learn this letter. There is an old adage that ask how you eat an elephant? And the answer is one spoonful at a time. That is going to be our process through these podcasts to take small pieces of the time understand them and digest them.

Ephesians 1:1-14

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus; Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love. He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ. According to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, all wisdom and insight. Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he sets forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believe in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

In 2017 Americans spent approximately $80 billion and buying lottery tickets. According to the most recent numbers over 70% of lottery winners go bankrupt within three years of winning the lottery. We live in an “I wanted now.” Culture and more often than not when we do get what we want. We either want more or squander what we have received. This is because we are focused on the now the things of and we do that we missed the real treasures God has prepared for us here and in heaven. The blessings we find in Christ are not of the earth. They are not of material things, but in spiritual things. When we focus on the material once we neglect in seeing the abundant blessings found in Christ. Our true peace and joy can only be found when we seek the things of God through Christ Jesus. Jesus tells us we are not really up for ourselves treasures here on earth where they can be stolen or destroyed, but the way our treasures in heaven would be will last for eternity. And so many of these heavenly blessed are available to us here and now, the beginning of the book of Ephesians leaves out his blessings.

“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” We are blessed because he has chosen us in Christ Jesus. I was the skinny kid with the black plastic Clark Kent glasses. So when it came to choosing sides on the playground or in the PE class. I was almost in every case, the less to be picked. Was a horrible feeling to believe that you were never good enough to be chosen first. God does not care whether you are good enough because the reality is we can never really be good enough, but all of us have been chosen. From before the time he created the earth he has chosen us, he is laid out his plans so that we can be in his family. We all created in the image of God and by default, create to be in a relationship with God. No one is chosen first and no one is chosen last, we are all equal. At the foot of the cross. God sold the world and did not send his son to condemn the world, but to be saved through him. It tells us in 2 Peter 3:9, “the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness” , but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”