Blessed 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 with:
a. Every spiritual blessing
b. Adoption
c. Freedom
d. Inheritance
e. Holy Spirit
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 as if we are blessed in Christ.
Transition: First, we must realize that we have been blessed with...
I. Every Spiritual Blessing (3)
A. Every Spiritual Blessing
1. Paul says "All praise to God, the 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 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.
d. They are spiritual blessings because the earth is too small to hold them (Jerome, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, vol. 8, 104).
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. If you need to confront the demons in your life, He has already given you the power to do it.
d. He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing.
B. Heavenly Places
1. He has given us these blessings in the "heavenly realms because you are united with 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. 10:3-4 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments (NLT).
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 Adoption (4-6)
A. Chosen
1. Paul says "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ "
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 choose Him.
3. Jn. 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me…”
a. Again we see that God took the initiative; not us.
b. We cannot come to Jesus on our own.
c. It is God who chooses us, and then draws us in His direction.
4. What was that purpose? First, "to be holy and without blame in His eyes..."
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. Second, we were chosen “to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
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.
d. Again, notice that God did the bringing!
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.
6. You are God’s child.
a. He chose you to be His child.
b. He loves you as His child.
c. You have all the rights and privileges as His child.
Transition: We are also...
III. Blessed With Freedom (7-8)
A. Riches of His Grace
1. A part of the blessing of grace is freedom. Paul says "He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
a. The word purchase 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 "with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
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 set free, 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 God is so “rich in kindness and 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 "rich in kindness and 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.
4. In addition to all this, God has “showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”
a. In the phrase with all wisdom and understanding, the word "wisdom" is the ability to see life from God’s perspective.
b. Proverbs 9:10 teaches that the fear (respect and honor) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
c. The word "understanding" could also be translated "insight," referring to the ability to discern the right action to take in any given situation.
d. Wisdom and understanding are given to believers for them to know God’s will.
B. He Set Me Free
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. God has blessed us with freedom.
a. Freedom from sin.
b. Freedom from oppression.
c. Freedom from bondage.
d. Freedom from our past.
3. God has blessed us with forgiveness.
a. He has forgiven all that we have done wrong.
b. He has thrown it into the sea of forgetfulness.
c. He has separated us from our sin as far as the East is from the West.
4. God has blessed us with insight.
a. He has allowed us to see things as He sees them.
b. He has allowed us to know right from wrong.
c. He has given us the desire to please Him.
Transition: Aren’t you glad to be free!
IV. Blessed With Inheritance (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 "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ.”
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, "At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.”
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 plan or dispensation (KJV) 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, division, and evil will be subjected and harmonized under Christ.
e. A new, perfect, and eternal creation will be established for the Lord and His followers throughout the universe.
6. Once God has done all this, we shall receive an “inheritance from God.”
1. 1 Pet. 1:4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
2. Our inheritance is the aspect of salvation which is primarily future… and we will receive our completed inheritance in the ages to come, when we enter fully into the Father’s eternal heavenly kingdom (MacArthur New Testament Commentary).
3. It will be an inheritance like no other. It will far out weigh all of the riches and glory of this world.
4. God has prepared and is protecting this inheritance for us.
B. Inheritance
1. Illustration: Never forget the three whats!
What from? Believers are redeemed from hell and destruction.
What by? By the precious blood of Christ.
What to? To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that will not fade away. -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
2. Because we are God’s children, we will receive the inheritance of a King.
a. He is the King of Kings; we are the Kings kids.
b. He is the Lord of Lords; we are His Royal Priesthood.
c. He has an eternal kingdom and we are His heirs.
3. Our inheritance will never spoil, fade, or wear out.
a. It is eternal in nature.
b. It is protected by His love.
c. It is secured by faith.
5. Our inheritance will never run out.
a. We cannot spend it all.
b. We cannot squander it.
c. It will last forever.
Transition: The guarantee of our inheritance is we are…
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: “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”
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 Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.”
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 is the promise of the King of Kings?
3. He has promised us the Holy Spirit to:
a. Empower us
b. Equip us
c. Encourage us
d. Comfort us
e. Lead 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.
