In Christ #5 Look...rewards

Illus: The man who owned the city’s newspaper had three sons. He offered ownership of the paper to the son who could write the most sensational headline using no more that three words. These three sons went to work and came up with the most bizarre headlines they could imagine.

• Everyone knows that former President Reagan bitterly opposed communism during his career. The first son’s headline was, “Reagan Turns Communist.”

• Everyone knows that Khomenini hates Christianity, so the second son concocted this headline: “Khomenini Becomes Christian.”

• But the third son inherited the newspaper when his headline was submitted using only two words. He wrote, “Pope Elopes.”

Fortunately we do not have to earn our spiritual inheritance by sensational works. God’s grace is sufficient.

But what is so sad in the church today is that many have almost lived their entire lives and have not come close to discovering what they have in Christ.

Illus: These remind me of this elderly gentleman who was very poor. One day a man who knew something about social security was talking to him and brought to his attention that he might be entitled to money that he had never received. He asked the man what he meant. The man explained to him that he had worked beyond retirement for many years and had not drawn any social security during that time. He suggested he go down to the local social security office and put in for it. He did and he was pleasantly surprised in a few weeks when he received a check for five thousand dollars.

The elderly gentleman went to the man who had told him he was entitled to this money and told him what he had received. The man told him to go to the social security office and make sure that all that was his. He did and they even signed a piece of paper that told him it was his.

In a few weeks he received another check, but this time it was for ten thousand. He also took that check to the man who had told him about the money he was entitled to receive. The man told him to take that check, as he had the first, to confirm he was truly entitled to it. He did, and again they signed a document stating it was his.

In a few more weeks, the elderly gentleman again told the man who had told him of the money, that he had received another check for five thousand dollars. This time the man who had been receiving all these checks told the fellow, “You know, I have heard people fuss about Social Security all my life, but I like it!”

This time when the elderly gentleman went down to confirm this was his money they again told him IT WAS HIS, but from that time on he would only be receiving monthly checks like other retirees.

Listen, if that elderly gentleman had never investigated what the man told him that he might be entitled to this money, he would have died never knowing all that money was his!

But a far greater treasure is available. And it is a far greater shame that many die IN CHRIST never knowing what they have IN CHRIST.

So that will not happen to us, let us continue to work our way through the book of Ephesians and discover what we have IN CHRIST.

I. LOOK AT OUR REWARDS.

Look at Eph. 1:11. We read, “IN WHOM also WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”

When we think of inheritance we think of temporal things. Especially in this age. This is the age of materialism.

Illus: If you listen to people talk, about all the conversation is about THINGS! That is, much of the conversation today is about cars, campers, guns, fishing rods, boats, houses, clothes, etc.

Many Christians today, living in this age of materialism, spend the whole week talking about these things and perhaps have not talked about the Lord all week.

Again, this is the age of MATERIALISM and when we think of blessings, we think of material blessings. One of the reasons we think of BLESSINGS from a temporal perspective is because of some of the television preachers.

Illus: Television preachers know they are under pressure. Listeners have a remote control in their hands and with the touch of a finger can turn them off if they say something Joe Public does not want to hear. So week after week the television preacher tells the public that it is the WILL OF GOD that they...

-Wear the best.

-Drive the best.

-Live in the best.

-Boat in the best.