Count Your Blessings (Part 3) Series

Ephesians: Finding our Identity in Christ

Ephesians 1:11-14

Redeemed!

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

2-08–2026

Redeemed

Have you ever met someone who just can’t shut up about what Jesus has done for them?

The Apostle Paul couldn’t keep quiet about all the blessings God had poured out on his life. He begins the letter to the church in Ephesus with an explosion of praise that runs on for 202 straight words. (Your high school English teacher’s red pen would explode)

He just can’t contain the joy and thankfulness for all the blessings that God has lavished on us in Christ.

Those who have been forgiven much, love much.

At the age 14, Jason Bradley Deford was baptized in the little church he attended. Several weeks later, he was arrested for the first time. Over the next ten years, he would be arrested multiple times for distribution of drugs and assault.

At the age of 39, his 14 year old daughter asked to be baptized. As he watched her and her friends and their joy, he was overwhelmed with the love and compassion of Jesus for sinners who need a Savior. That was enough for Jason to recommit his life to following Jesus.

Now the guy can’t stop talking about Him! Everywhere he goes, from sold-out arenas, to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, the chair as a judge on the newly rebooted Star Search, to the podium at the Grammys, Jason tells people about how Jesus saved his life.

Oh that’s right, you may not know him by Jason. You see, when he was young, he loved jelly donuts so his mom nicknamed him “JellyRoll.”

This week, JellyRoll stood on the stage at the Grammys, accepting the first of three awards that night for the album, “Beautifully Broken.” Again he took the opportunity to tell people about Jesus.

[You Tube - Grammy]

JellyRoll knows what it is like to be helpless, hopeless, and bound for hell. He knows there is nothing he could do to save himself. He knows it only by God’s amazing grace that God redeemed him, bought him back from the kingdom of darkness by the blood shed on the cross.

As one pastor put it, “God will either punish the sinner (you) or the Substitute (Jesus).” It’s your choice.

People who have been redeemed don’t worry about people making fun of them for not being able to shut up about Jesus.

The real worry for them is taking such amazing grace for granted.

Counting our Blessings

We all have different natural outlooks on life. Some people see the glass half-full, some see it as half empty. I often see the glass as on fire with scorpions crawling out of it.

What do we do when we are naturally bent toward pessimism and negativity? We count our blessings…name them one by one.

Over these past few weeks, we have been counting our blessings that are found in Ephesians 1.

So far, we have learned that in Christ, we have been

blessed with every spiritual blessing

Chosen

Predestined to adoption as children and heirs of God

Loved extravagantly and unconditionally

Redeemed by his blood

Forgiven of our sins

Lavished with amazing grace

Given wisdom and insight to understand God’s plans

Professor and pastor Jason DeRoucie puts it this way:

“One evidence that you are redeemed is that you have personally experienced God’s curse-overcoming, universe-reconciling work in Jesus. You’ve seen that Christ is King; you’ve embraced that he is the only Savior; you’ve repented of your sins, have surrendered to him as Lord, and have joyfully affirmed that you are now part of his mission of reconciling the world to God.”

Is this you? Do you understand that you were hopeless, helpless and hell bound but God, in His amazing grace, saved you rescued you, chose you, adopted you, and redeemed you?

I picture the pastor at the Ephesus reading this letter to the congregation. Can you imagine the tears? The loud amens?

Maybe he even had to stop reading to wipe tears away. Or maybe they just broke into spontaneous praises and worship for what God had done for them?

We are going to discover two more amazing blessings this morning. If you are in Christ, you have been given

* an inheritance

the ability to hear and understand the Gospel

Next week we will finish by looking at one of the most amazing blessings of them all:

The Holy Spirit as a seal and guarantee of our inheritance

Please turn with me to Ephesians 1.

Prayer

Blessing # 9: Inheritance

“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…

The ninth blessing looks back to verse 5:

“In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace…” (v. 5)