Scripture
Last week I began a series of sermons on Ephesians 1 that I am calling, “God’s Supreme Purpose.” The Apostle Paul’s emphasis in chapter 1 is not on what we must do for salvation, but rather on what God has done for us in Christ. Ephesians 1 teaches us that we have been chosen and adopted by the Father (1:4-6); that we have been redeemed by the Son (1:7-12); that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13-14); that we have been given resurrection power (1:19); and that we have been given eyes to see the lordship of Jesus Christ (1:15-23). These are the spiritual blessings we learn about regarding God’s supreme purpose for believers in Ephesians 1.
Let’s read about every spiritual blessing in Ephesians 1:3:
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. (Ephesians 1:3)
Introduction
“The Mystery of the Missing Owner” read the headline on an unusual section of the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, February 6, 2005. The supplement was actually a legal notice published by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office seeking to give money away to rightful owners of the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes, forgotten bank accounts, security deposit checks, uncashed paychecks, and dividend checks.
More than a billion dollars was owed to nearly five million people and businesses that the Treasurer’s Office could not trace. The front page of the supplement listed the names and last known addresses of 10 individuals or couples each owed over $100,000. And what followed were 116 pages packed tightly with names from Lucilee Aakeberg to Leonard E. Zyzda – 113,000 names of people all owed more than $100 in cash and/or stock!
It seems hard to imagine that people could be unaware of their rightful treasures. Yet, that is precisely the condition of many Christians. The Apostle Paul may have seen that in the Ephesian Christians too, and so he began his letter to the Ephesians by reminding them of God’s supreme purpose for believers. And that began with an explanation of every spiritual blessing that belonged to every born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lesson
The analysis of every spiritual blessing in Ephesians 1:3 teaches us about our spiritual riches.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. The Author of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3a)
2. The Recipients of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3c)
3. The Source of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3e)
4. The Extent of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3f)
5. The Timing of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3b)
6. The Location of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3g)
7. The Condition for Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3d)
I. The Author of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3a)
First, let’s look at the author of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3a, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ….” These words begin the longest sentence in the Bible. In Greek, this sentence begins at verse 3 and ends at verse 14. Verses 3-14 are also the Bible’s longest doxology. Commentator John Stott says, “In the original Greek these twelve verses constitute a single complex sentence. As Paul dictates, his speech pours out of his mouth in a continuous cascade. He neither pauses for breath, nor punctuates his words with full stops.” He summarizes what commentators have said about verses 3-14, “A gateway, a golden chain, a kaleidoscope, a snowball, a racehorse, an operatic overture and the flight of an eagle: all these metaphors in their different ways describe the impression of color, movement and grandeur which the sentence makes on the reader’s mind.”
Verses 3-14 show us God’s supreme purpose for the Church. These verses are Paul’s outline of God’s master plan for salvation. They are divided into three stanzas, each stanza ending with the phrase “to the praise of his glory” (or a variation of that phrase in 1:6; 1:12; 1:14). Paul taught that God’s supreme purpose was to create for himself a new body, the Church. Thus, the Church was planned by God the Father (1:3-6a). It was purchased by God the Son (1:6b-12). And it is preserved by God the Holy Spirit (1:13-14).
Getting back to verse 3a, Paul began by saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ….” The Greek word for blessed is eulogetos, from which we get eulogy, a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing. Only God is worthy of our supreme praise, eulogy, and blessing. And that is so because of who he is and what he has done.
Pastor James Montgomery Boice comments as follows:
I have been a pastor in one place or another for more than two decades, and during that time I have probably put together between 1,300 and 1,400 worship services. These services have had various elements, all important: the sermon, Scripture readings, hymns, prayers, congregational responses, and other items. I value each of these. But as I have reflected on the worship of Christian people over this long period, I have come to believe that one of the most important aspects of all the various parts of worship is hymn singing. Why? Because it is in hymn singing that the congregation itself actively voices praise to God.
The sermon is important. We learn from the sermon. But doctrine, if it is rightly understood, leads to doxology. If we discover who God is and what he has done for us, we will praise him.
Paul’s understanding of who God is and what he has done for us is so clear that he can hardly begin his letter without bursting into praise for the person and work of God.
Do you have a clear understanding of who God is? Do you know what God has done for you? Because if you do, praise to God the Father will flow from your lips.
II. The Recipients of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3c)
Second, notice the recipients of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3c, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us….”
The blessings of God are for us, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. John MacArthur says, “In his wonderful grace, marvelous providence, and sovereign plan God has chosen to bless us. God has eternally ordained that ‘those who are of faith are blessed’ (Galatians 3:9).”
R. C. Sproul notes the difference between God blessing believers and the way in which believers bless God. He says, “When God blesses believers, he bestows a certain favor upon them that they do not deserve. When they bless him, it is an act of praise and adoration that he richly deserves. It is not an act of grace on their part to give benediction or blessing to the Almighty.”
Believers are the recipients of God’s grace. That is an amazing blessing. Do we understand that we are blessed by God?
III. The Source of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3e)
Third, observe the source of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3e, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing….” Some say that spiritual “means that the blessings relate to the spiritual sphere rather than being material things: God blessed us with blessings which are spiritual in nature.” More likely, however, spiritual “refers to the Holy Spirit and means that he produced the blessings: God, the Father, blessed us with blessings produced by the Holy Spirit’s work in us.” Or as the old Princeton theologian, Charles Hodge, put it, “These blessings are spiritual not merely because they pertain to the soul, but because they are derived from the Holy Spirit, whose presence and influence are the great blessing purchased by Christ.”
So, the source of every spiritual blessing is the Holy Spirit. As John MacArthur put it, “In the New Testament pneumatikos (spiritual) is always used in relation to the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it does not here refer to immaterial blessings as opposed to material ones but to the divine origin of the blessings – whether they help us in our spirits, our minds, our bodies, our daily living, or however else. Spiritual refers to the source, not the extent, of blessing.”
IV. The Extent of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3f)
Fourth, observe the extent of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3f, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing….” It is important to note that God does give material blessings. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for daily bread (Matthew 6:11). But these material provisions are relatively unimportant when measured against spiritual blessings. “Besides,” as Boice says, “although in this life we may have more or less material possessions, in spiritual terms we have not merely some but all blessings in Christ.”
What are the blessings we have? We shall examine them more fully in future messages, but let me briefly list the blessings for you here as Paul set them out in verses 4-14:
1. Election. Paul said in verse 4 that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.”
2. Adoption. Paul said in verse 5, “In love [God] predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.”
3. Redemption. Paul said in verse 7a, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood.”
4. Forgiveness of sins. Not only is redemption a spiritual blessing, but so is “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (1:7b).
5. The revelation of God’s purpose in history. Paul said in verses 9-10 that God is “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
6. Sealing by the Holy Spirit. Paul said in verse 13, “In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”
7. An inheritance. Paul said in verse 14 that the Holy Spirit “is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
As I said, we shall examine each of these blessings more fully in future messages.
V. The Timing of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3b)
Fifth, notice the timing of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3b, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ….” The words “who has blessed” are in the aorist tense, which means that an action was completed in the past but has continuing effects. So, Paul was saying that every spiritual blessing was decreed by God in eternity past for every believer, who came into possession of every spiritual blessing upon conversion.
Brothers and sisters, this has profound implications for the way in which we live as Christians every day. God’s blessing has already been procured for us, and are ours already. And yet we so often live as if we still need to procure these spiritual blessings. And so John MacArthur tells us:
Many Christians continually ask God for what he has already given. They pray for him to give them more love, although they should know that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). They pray for peace, although Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27). They pray for happiness and joy, although Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). They ask God for strength, although his Word tells them that they “can do all things through him who strengthens” them (Philippians 4:13)…. It is not that God will give us but that he has already given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” He has blessed us already with every spiritual blessing. We are complete “in him” (Colossians 2:10)…. Our resources in God are not simply promised; they are possessed.
What this means is that God cannot give us more than he has already given us. Do you understand that? There is nothing more to receive from God. If you are a Christian, then God has already blessed you in Christ with every spiritual blessing. That is why John MacArthur says, “The believer’s need, therefore, is not to receive something more but to do something more with what he has.”
VI. The Location of Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3g)
Sixth, observe the location of every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3g, “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.” The heavenly places refer to the supernatural realm of God.
Christians have dual citizenship. We are citizens of earth and we are also citizens of heaven. While we are on earth we are citizens of earth. But, once we become believers, we are also citizens of heaven. And that citizenship is far more important than our earthly citizenship. That is why we are to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).
VII. The Condition for Every Spiritual Blessing (1:3d)
And finally, notice the condition for every spiritual blessing.
Paul said in verse 3d, “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.” This key expression occurs 164 times in Paul’s 13 letters. However, it occurs far more in Ephesians (36 times) than in any other letter. And Paul used “in Christ” or “in him” 11 times in the first 14 verses of Ephesians.
In verse 1 Paul described believers as “saints” and “faithful” who are “in Christ Jesus.” Then, in verses 3-14 Paul drew out the implications of this key expression for the Church. Formerly, we were “in Adam,” belonging to fallen humanity, but now believers are “in Christ,” belonging to the new redeemed humanity. And it is “in Christ” that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expressed it this way:
If you leave out the “in Christ” you will never have any blessings at all…. Every blessing we enjoy as Christian people comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. God has blessings for all sorts and conditions of men. For instance, the Sermon on the Mount gives our Lord’s teaching that God “makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good” (Matthew 5:45). There are certain common general blessings which are enjoyed by the whole of humanity. There is what is called “common grace,” but that is not what the Apostle is dealing with here. Here, he is dealing with particular grace, with special grace, the blessings that are enjoyed by Christian people only. The evil as well as the good, the unjust as well as the just, enjoy common blessings, but none but Christians enjoy these special blessings. People often stumble at this truth, but the distinction is drawn very clearly in the Scriptures. The ungodly may enjoy much good in this world, and their blessings come to them from God in a general way, but they know nothing of the blessings mentioned in this verse. Paul is writing here to Christian people and his concern is that they should understand and grasp the special blessings and privileges possible to them as Christians, and so he emphasizes that all those blessings come in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, and in and through him alone. You cannot be a Christian without being “in Christ”; Christ is the beginning as well as the end, he is Alpha as well as Omega; there are no blessings for Christians apart from him.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed every spiritual blessing in Ephesians 1:3, let us praise God for every spiritual blessing.
Ephesians 1:3 is important because it is the key to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul’s theology leads him to bless and praise God for every spiritual blessing.
God made humans to be creatures of praise. The problem is that too often we bless and praise the wrong object. We see expressions of praise all around us: power, performance, prominence, productivity, personality, pleasure, and so on.
The question we need to ask ourselves is not, “Do I worship?” Instead, we should ask, “Whom do I worship?” We should bless God for who he is and what he has done for us in Christ.
You know, when Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he was sitting in a stinky, vile prison. And yet, he began his letter with an explosion of praise to God.
Let us, too, praise God for every spiritual blessing. Amen.
