Our Spiritual Blessings In Christ
Text: Eph. 1:3-14
Introduction
1. Illustration: A Roman historian named Titus Livius once said, "Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes.
2. There are many Christians today that walk around with an interiority complex because they do not realize the blessings that they have in Christ
a. They see themselves as unworthy of the blessings of Christ.
b. They see themselves as ill-prepared to do whatever God asks them to do.
3. However, Paul tells us a different story. He says that we are blessed in Christ.
4. Read Eph. 1:3-14
5. I believe that if Paul were here today he would tell us that we need to recognize just how blessed we are as Christians. He would tell us to:
Proposition: Start living like those who have been blessed in Christ.
Transition: First, we must realize that we have been blessed with...
I. Every Spiritual Blessings (3)
A. Every Spiritual Blessing
1. Paul says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..."
a. The word that Paul is using here literally means "one who is worthy of blessings" (Rogers and Rogers, 434).
b. He is saying that God is worthy to receive our praises.
2. We are really quick to praise God for what He has done for us, as well we should, but we also need to remember to praise Him for who He is.
a. Ps. 100:4-5 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
b. Illustration: It is like telling your wife you love her only because she cooks your supper and washes your clothes.
3. However, we also need to recognize what He has done for us. Paul says God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing..."
a. He has not blessed us with a few blessings, or some blessings, but every spiritual blessing.
b. He has given us every spiritual blessing we will ever need.
c. Notice that these blessings are not material, but spiritual.
4. Whatever we need to do what God desires of us has already been provided.
a. If you need the ability to witness, He has already given it to you.
b. If you need the faith to believe God for a miracle, He has already given it to you.
c. He has blessed you with every spritual blessing.
B. Heavenly Places
1. He has given us these blessings in the "heavenly places in Christ."
2. There is a realm of existence that we deal with every day that you cannot touch, smell, or taste.
3. It is a realm that you cannot see with your eyes, but like the wind you know its there.
4. 2 Cor. 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
5. There is a realm where we come face to face with Satan and all of his workers of iniquity on a daily basis.
a. We need to know that it is a fight that we do not have to run from.
b. It is a fight that we do not have to shy away from.
c. It is a fight that we can win because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in that realm.
Transition: He has also...
II. Blessed With Election (4-6)
A. Chosen
1. Paul says "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world..."
a. You can look at this in every concordance known to man and it is still going to mean God chose us.
b. He hand picked us to be His children.
2. The simple fact is, He chose us, we didn’t chose Him.
3. Jn. 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
a. We can notice two things: He did the choosing.
b. He chose us for a purpose.
4. What was that purpose? First, "we should be holy and without blame before Him in love..."
a. He chose us to be holy, set apart, consecrated, and with out spot or defect.
b. We were not chosen so that we could remain in sin, but so that we could be people of righteousness
c. We were chosen to bring forth fruit; not weeds!
5. We were also chosen to be adopted.
a. The emphasis here is on being an adult member of the family.
b. As adult members of the family we are to be about the Father’s business.
c. We are not to be babies, but grown up responsible members of the family.
6. We were chosen to be accepted.
a. God chose us to be accepted just as we are right now.
b. He died for us while we were still sinners.
c. He doesn’t tell us to get cleaned up and then come to Him, but He tells us that He will make us clean.
B. Not a Mistake
1. Illustration: On his first assignment for a Chicago newspaper, a rookie reporter drove a company car to a car-crushing plant, parked in the wrong spot, and returned from interviewing the manager just in time to see the vehicle being compacted into scrap metal. Oops!
2. Aren’t you glad that you are not a mistake.
3. Aren’t you glad that God has a purpose for you.
4. Aren’t you glad that God chose you.
5. Aren’t you glad that God has a plan for you.
Transition: We are also...
III. Blessed With Grace (7-8)
A. Riches of His Grace
1. A part of the blessing of grace is redemption. Paul says "In Him we have redemption through His blood..."
a. The word redemption means "to purchase with a price" (Rogers and Rogers, 435).
b. It carries with it the "idea of purchasing or buying back some item or person that would otherwise be lost, taken prisoner, or destroyed" (Snodgrass, 51).
c. It refers to the fact that Jesus Christ came and paid the price for our salvation.
d. Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
2. Another part of the blessing of grace is the forgiveness of sins. Paul says "...forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..."
a. Because we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus we can receive forgiveness of sins.
b. Heb. 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
c. Rejoice that you have been redeemed, your sins are forgiven, and your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life all because of the blood of Jesus shed for you on Calvary!
3. This all comes because of the "riches of His grace."
a. Grace is the gift of God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
b. That gift that we do not deserve and cannot earn.
c. The term "riches of His grace" indicates an abundance of possession exceeding the norm (Rogers and Rogers, 435).
d. God grace is over and beyond the norm.
e. It is exceeding, abundantly above what we can ask, think or imagine.
B. How Sweet the Sound
1. Illustration: Charles Swindoll states: But when “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ,” a long-awaited revolution of the heart began to set religious captives free. Fear-full bondage motivated by guilt was replaced with a fresh motivation to follow Him in truth simply out of deep devotion and delight. Rather than focusing on the accomplishments of the flesh, He spoke of the heart. Instead of demanding that the sinner fulfill a long list of requirements, he emphasized faith, if only the size of a mustard seed.
2. Grace is one the greatest of God’s blessings.
3. Grace makes all other blessings possible.
4. It is grace that saves us.
Transition: For by grace you have been saved.
IV. Blessed With Revelation (9-11)
A. Having Made Known to Us
1. Sometimes I think that people have in their minds that one day God said, "These humans I made messed everything up, so I better come up with a plan to fix it."
2. No, God intended from the beginning to send His Son to redeem us.
a. It wasn’t plan B
b. It wasn’t an afterthought
c. It was the plan
3. Paul tells us that "having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself."
a. The modern idea of mystery is something that is unknown.
b. However, the Jewish idea of mystery is something that was hidden that has now been made known (Snodgrass, 53).
4. When the time came, He unlocked the truth and opened it up to man.
a. The mystery of God’s will can be simply stated: God is to gather together and unify all things in a spirit of peace and harmony—all things, both visible and invisible.
b. All things are to be brought to a peaceful and eternal state under the authority and glorification of Jesus Christ.
5. Another part of the revelation is God’s plan for the future. Paul says "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."
a. There is to be a consummation, a climax of history—a fullness of time, a new order—in which all things will be unified and harmonized and brought to a peaceful state under the authority of Jesus Christ.
b. History is in the hands of God. The word Paul uses is dispensation which literally means, "household arrangement."
c. The idea is that the universe is a house under the management of God. God is handling, planning, arranging, and administering all things toward a climactic consummation for Christ and His followers.
d. In that climactic day all disharmony and division and evil will be subjected and harmonized under Christ.
e. A new and perfect and eternal creation will be established for the Lord and His followers throughout the universe.
B. Revelation
1. Illustration: The story is told that after Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, had given her the names of physical objects in sign language, Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God and tapped out the symbols for the name "God." Much to Miss Sullivan’s surprise, Helen spelled back, "Thank you for telling me God’s name, Teacher, for he has touched me many times before." How could Helen Keller have known about God? It was because although she was blind, deaf and mute, Helen Keller knew God, for God had shown Himself to her. That is “revelation.”
2. God not only reveals to us His plan of salvation and the plan for the future, but He also tells us His plan for us.
3. Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (NIV).
4. God has a plan for us.
a. A plan to bless us
b. A plan to prosper us
c. A plan to give us hope
5. God reveals that plan for us through:
a. Prayer
b. Word
c. Prophecy
d. Words of Wisdom
e. Words of Knowledge
Transition: God has blessed us with the revelation that He has a great plan for our lives.
V. Blessed With the Holy Spirit (12-14)
A. You Were Sealed
1. Paul raps up all of our blessings in the promise of God: "having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise..."
a. The Holy Spirit fills us with a sense of God’s love, assures us that God has adopted us as his children, and helps us to manifest our Christlikeness.
b. The Spirit is a once-and-for-all identification that gives us continued assurance that we are God’s children, entitled to his riches and goodness, now as well as in eternity.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the great promise of God.
a. Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
b. Lk. 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
c. Acts 1:4-5 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
d. Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
3. Another thing that Paul tells us about the Holy Spirit is that He is "the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
a. The word guarantee was used in ancient times to describe a down payment, promising that the buyer would complete the transaction and pay the full amount.
b. The guarantee was binding. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised.
c. He is the first payment of all the treasures that will be ours because he has purchased us to be his own people.
d. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that we are God’s children, and secures eternal life for us.
e. His power works in us to transform us now, and what we experience now is a taste of the total change we will experience in eternity.—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
B. Holy Spirit of Promise
1. Illustration: A poor criminal stood before an Eastern king, trembling for his life. A moment later his head was to be severed from his body. He asked for a drink of water. They brought it, but his hand trembled so that he could not drink. The king cried to him, "Do not be so alarmed; your life is safe till you drink that water. "In an instant the glass was shivered on the pavement and the water untasted, and looking boldly up to the king, the condemned man claimed the royal word. The monarch smiled bitterly, and said, "You have fairly won your life: I cannot break my word even to you. You are saved.
2. If an earthly king can keep his promise, how much greater can King of Kings keep His promise.
3. He has promised us the Holy Spirit to:
a. Empower us
b. Equip us
c. Encourage us
d. Lead us
e. Comfort us
4. When it comes to God a promise made is a promise kept.
5. The promise of the Holy Spirit is there for all believers; all we have to do is reach out and receive it.
Conclusion
1. We are blessed with:
a. Every spiritual blessing
b. Election
c. Grace
d. Revelation
e. Holy Spirit
2. Do you have any idea how blessed you are today?
3. Are you living in these blessings?
4. If not when are you going to reach out and receive them?
5. You are blessed, so be a blessing.
