Sermon Central
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Our Identity In Christ Series
Contributed by Christian Cheong on Mar 6, 2024 (message contributor)
Summary: In this opening song of blessings, Paul praises God for our security in Christ, our significance in Christ and our satisfaction in Christ. Our relationship with Christ and our God is unique, precious and eternal.
Eph 1:1-14 OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST
We are starting a new series today in the book of Ephesians.
• The theme of the book is God’s salvation through Christ and His relationship with the church.
• As usual, Paul starts with the doctrines in the first 3 chapters, stating the truths about the work of our salvation through Christ.
• And then the second half of the book addresses the practical aspects of living out this relationship we have with Christ as the church.
Paul opens up the letter with a song of blessings or thanksgiving to God, recounting God’s great work of saving us.
• Verses 3-14 is what the Jews call a berakhah, a song of blessings or praise to God.
• Paul praises God the Father (3-6), the Son Jesus Christ (7-12), and the Holy Spirit (13-14) for their work in our redemption.
Reading through this song not only praises God for what He has done but also reveals WHO we are because we are the reason for all that God has done.
• It answers the questions “Who are we in the eyes of God?”; “Who are we in Christ?”
• We are the ones being saved and blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. And this is because of God’s good purpose and will.
In praising God for our redemption, we see also OUR TRUE IDENTITY IN CHRIST.
• This is what we want to remind ourselves of from this text today – knowing who we are in the eyes of God. This is important because KNOWING WHO WE ARE changes us.
• It affects the way we see ourselves, the way we see God and the way we see our world.
Many are suffering from identity crisis today. They do not know who they are and they find their value and worth from all the wrong places.
• They believe what others say of them. They believe what the world says of them.
• There is no right answer apart from a relationship with God, who made us in His image.
• Christianity’s answer to the identity crisis is to bring men and women into a direct, personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
Through these opening words, Paul reminds the Ephesians WHO they are in Christ.
• Let’s go to the text (1:3-14). We see three sections addressing the work of the Father (3-6), the Son (7-12) and the Holy Spirit (13-14).
• For the work of the Father, it was BEFORE THE WORLD began; the work of Christ was IN OUR WORLD and finally the work of the Spirit FOR THE WORLD TO COME.
Our salvation is the work of the triune God! It has everything to do with Him. Appreciate that and live confidently today!
• Paul ends each section with “to the praise of…” – “his glorious grace” (v.6), “his glory” (v.12) and “his glory” (v.14).
Eph 1:3-6
3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
1. KNOW OUR SECURITY IN CHRIST: Chosen by God BEFORE THE WORLD
God has chosen us before the foundation of the world.
• He predestined us. He adopted us, to be His sons through Christ.
• Paul uses different words to express the main point that God had us in mind when He decided to save us, even before the world began.
• We were chosen, predestined and adopted by God according to the purpose of His will.
• The theological words for these are election, predestination and adoption.
This relationship anchors us in life. Knowing this and believing it, changes the way we live. We are sons of the living God, made in His image and redeemed to live like Christ.
• By His grace and through Christ, we can live to be who we ALREADY are.
• This truth frees us from living like a chicken and not an eagle. Heard that story before?
A young eagle that fell out of his nest was taken by a farmer and placed among his chickens, growing up eating and behaving like them, trained to be earthbound and never learned to fly.
Someone came by and took the eagle apart. “You are an eagle, you can fly!” and threw her up to the sky. The eagle was confused and did not know who she was.
