Spiritual Blessings Part 2 Series

Sermon preached by Rev. Larry C. Brincefield on November 24, 2004

Title: Ephesians #4

Text: Ephesians 1:11-14

Introduction

1. On the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands there are two Thanksgiving days.

• In addition to the usual one celebrated by Americans,

• they have a Hurricane Thanksgiving Day on October 25.

• It marks the end of the hurricane season.

• On July 25th, they celebrate Supplication Day,

• On that day, they recognize the beginning of the Hurricane season.

• On Supplication Day all citizens of St. Croix are urged to pray that their little island will be spared from the devastation of the hurricanes.

• But they are not content with that…,

• At the end of the season, they appoint a day to thank God that their prayers were answered, …

• As I said, They call it "Hurricane Thanksgiving Day."

• Isn’t that a great attitude?

2. I feel that most Christians have a great number of supplication days…

• Where they cry out for God’s mercy and help…

• but too few thanksgiving days…

• to thank God after He’s responded to the supplication.—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

3. Well, we’ve certainly enjoyed our Bible Study in Ephesians thus far.

• We’ve talked the last couple of weeks about some of the spiritual blessings that we have…

• Which has gone along nicely with our Sunday Morning sermons too…

• Sure, we praise the Lord for PHYSICAL blessings…

• But sometimes we focus so much on the physical blessings…

• That we overlook the SPIRITUAL blessings.

4. Here in our study in Ephesians, Paul has been quick to point out some wonderful spiritual blessings…

• As much as I’d like to review them tonight…

• I’ll let you review them for yourself in your own Bible Study…

• But as we study the next paragraph of Scripture…

• We will see that Paul continues on this theme of spiritual blessings…

• And with Thanksgiving coming tomorrow…

• This certainly is very appropriate for our study

Read Text: Ephesians 1:11-14

Body

1. We have obtained an inheritance

A. The KJV says, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,”

• This inheritance was predestined…

• God foreordained for us to have this inheritance…

• This inheritance is from God…

• We are His heirs…

B. When someone real rich dies…

• They leave an inheritance…

• They leave their money and worldly possessions behind…

• And their family is the beneficiary…

• Now, we know that God is eternal…

• And He will never die…

• But that doesn’t stop Him from giving us an inheritance…

• We are beneficiaries of God’s grace…

• We are beneficiaries of eternal life…

• That’s quite an inheritance, isn’t it?

• Sure beats a couple million dollars…

• And being drug through the courts by angry family members…

• Fighting over their earthly inheritance!

C. Our Scripture says that this inheritance is “in order that we…might be for the praise of His glory”.

• Initially, this looks like Paul is talking about the Jews…

• In fact, when he talks about “we” being chosen…

• He means the Jews…

• And, if verse 13 didn’t exist in our Bible…

• We might feel that we are missing out on something special…

• Something that is only available to the Jew…

• And not to us who are Gentiles…

• But in verse 13, Paul says, “and you also were included in Christ when you heard the words of truth, the Gospel of your salvation”…

• That’s means us…

• We aren’t excluded…

• We are included in the inheritance…

• We are included in the spiritual blessing…

• That is, we, who have heard the words of truth…

• And responded to the Gospel…

• the Good News that Jesus saves…

• and it has become our salvation…

• and, going back to verse 12…

• so that we might be for the praise of His glory”

• when we spread the Good News that Jesus saves…

• and people respond to that message of truth…

• that glorifies God.

• God is glorified when God’s people spread God’s message…And lost people respond

2. Another spiritual blessing, We are marked with a Seal…

A. That Seal being the Holy Spirit.

• Barclay says, “In the ancient world--it is a custom still followed--when a sack, or a crate, or a package was dispatched, it was sealed with a seal, in order to indicate from where it had come and to whom it belonged. The possession of the Holy Spirit is the seal which shows that a man belongs to God. —Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)

• When the Holy Spirit fills us…

• That is like a seal that shows ownership…