Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14
Title: Count Your Blessings
1. We are blessed to be God's Chosen People
2. We are blessed to become His Holy and Blameless People
3. We are blessed to be receive God's Inheritance along with the reassuring presence of God's Holy Spirit.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son Jesus who came to save the world from sin and from the Holy Spirit who infills us, cleanses us and leads us into a life of genuine humanness.
Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Johnson Oatman, Jr.? He was the son of Johnson and Rachel Ann Oatman and was born on April 21, 1856 near Medford, New Jersey. Johnson's father was an excellent singer and one of the things that Johnson Junior loved to do was to sit by his father's side and listen to him sing. Junior especially enjoyed the times that his father would sing church music. Johnson Sr. had this amazing booming voice and was very much in demand as a gospel singer.
For years Johnson Junior thought that the LORD wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps as a great singer. There was only one catch. Johnson, Jr. did not have a great voice like his father so there was little demand for his singing.
Johnson Jr. then thought that perhaps the LORD was calling him to be a great soul winner but again, he did not seem to have either the call of the charisma needed for the task. For a number of years Johnson Jr. did serve as a local minister while at the same time working for his father in his mercantile business. He knew deep down in his heart that God had a special plan for his life. A plan that involved helping people come to faith and then helping them to mature in their faith.
Suddenly, at the age of 36, Johnson's life took a significant shift. While it was true that he was never going to be either a great singer or a great soul winner he discovered that he had this amazing ability to write songs. Finally, he had found his spiritual niche. In less than four years, Johnson's hymns were being sung in churches all over the world. By the time of his death, Johnson Oatman Jr. had penned more than 3,000 hymns.
Quiet a number of those hymns became immensely popular and many of them are still enjoyed in churches all over the world today. Some of the more famous ones include hymns like "How the Fire Fell", "No, Not One!", "Higher Ground" and "Count Your Many Blessings".
I think this morning of those four, "Count Your Many Blessings" might have been one that the Apostle Paul would have enjoyed the most especially in regard to our scripture passage this morning. Listen again to the first stanza and the chorus of "Count Your Many Blessings":
"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one - and it will surprise you what the LORD hath done."
"Count your many blessings name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God hath done. Count your blessings; name them one by one. Count your many blessings; see what God hath done."
As we look at Ephesians 1:1-14 we can see that is exactly what our Apostle is actively doing. In the midst of his imprisonment, his difficulties and hardships we see that he is not only counting his blessings he is encouraging the people of Ephesus and the surrounding churches to do the same. Paul was well aware that his readers have had to endure a great many difficulties and hardships in their lives. Difficulties and hardships that possessed the power to shipwreck their faith. Difficulties and hardships that might tempt them to turn away from the Gospel and go back to believing in the false gods of Artemis and Diana.
Paul counteracts all of that by opening his letter to them with a prayer of blessing followed by a prayer of intercession (we see that prayer in verses 15-23). He wants his readers to remember all the blessings that are theirs to enjoy in Christ Jesus. He follows the normal pattern of a Jewish prayer. One's prayer begins with a time of blessing (called a Berakah) and then ends with a time of intercession and thanksgiving.
This morning, I would like for us to look at some of the wonderful blessings that Paul is sharing with in these verses. But before diving into them let's take a moment and focus on verse 3 - our Apostle wants to remind us of who God is and why He is to worshipped and praised.
Paul never tires of repeating over and over again in all his letters who God is and why He should be praised. For Paul the God of Israel (Yahweh/Jehovah) is the only true God. There is no other God than Yahweh/Jehovah. He is not the same as the gods and goddesses of the pagan world. He isn't some abstract force or bundle of mystical presence. He is the good God who made a good world and He is the God who has now made himself known through Jesus, our Messiah and King.
This is who God is and in verses 4-15 the Apostle spells out why we should praise and glorify this God. Paul shares with us a cascade of blessings that this God, the true God and Father of Jesus our Messiah and King has for all of us. These blessings are ours for the receiving. All we have to do is to repent of our sins, believe in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and receive the infilling presence of God's Holy Spirit. These blessings serve as signposts reminding us who we are in Christ Jesus.
+This morning, we are blessed to be God's Chosen People
- God has chosen to adopt us as His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ
This morning, we have been chosen by the LORD through His absolute and unmerited grace. We join in that great company of people who were chosen not because of their righteousness but because of God's love, mercy and grace. We join in that great company of God's people who have been rescued and redeemed through Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD.
And to top it off, Paul reveals to us that we have been chosen before the world was even formed. Even before creation was a spoken reality the LORD chose us to be His sons and daughters. Even though the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY knew that we would we would all rebel and sin against Him, the LORD still chose us and made a way for us to be His Chosen People.
My friends that is love beyond measure. That is true "agape" love. And it is a love that many here this morning I believe can fully understand. Like many of you, I would not trade anything for the joy and privilege of being a loving parent. Even though at times my heart has been broken by my children's words and even their rebellious actions I still would chose a thousand times over to be their father and unconditionally love them. I would do anything within my power for them. I try every day to pray for them - to do as Job did hundreds of years ago - to intercede for them and to ask the LORD's blessings, favor and anointing on their lives. I pray for their salvation and their walk of holiness.
Our Lord God Almighty is no different. In fact, His love far outshines our love. This morning, we were not chosen by accident, nor because of our own holiness but because of God's Amazing Agape Love. God in his infinite wisdom and love chose us.
-We who were dead in our sins and were without hope God has chosen to rescue us and redeem us through Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD.
- We who are spiritually bankrupt.
- We who are like filthy rags having no righteousness.
The Bible tells us that Our Lord God Almighty did not seek to destroy us because of our sins, but sent His Son Jesus, Messiah and King to rescue us, redeem us and restore us. Even though we could not lift a finger to help ourselves, God Himself did all that was necessary for us to be his sons and daughters.
+ Paul goes on to remind us that we are blessed to become God's Holy and Blameless People
In other words, this morning, we are not only invited to be rescued and redeemed but to be transformed from the inside out. We have been chosen by God Himself to be transformed by the infilling presence of His Holy Spirit. We have been chosen to be God's Holy and Blameless (Irreproachable) People.
The story of the Cross is the story of deliverance and much more ( verses 7- 10). The story of Jesus is the story of forgiveness along with the story of compete and whole transformation. The story of salvation is the story of the penalty of sin being paid and the stain of sin removed.
To get a glimpse of what this means let's for a moment focus in on a passage from the book of Isaiah where the prophet tells us in 1:18:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Jesus' blood not only rescued us and redeemed us it has the power to justify and sanctify us. "Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean" as the old song goes ("Yes, I Know!" was written in 1920 by Anna W. Waterman).
It is one thing to be rescued, redeemed and justified wholly. It is a whole other thing to be made so holy, so pure that we can enjoy the fellowship and presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
What Our LORD did through His Son Jesus was to bring us full circle back to the Garden of Eden. If you remember one of the greatest joys that Adam and Eve were able to experience was a right relationship with the LORD. The Bible tells us that Our LORD would join Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening and spend time with them. They were able to free and transparent before the LORD knowing that there was nothing that separated them from their Creator and LORD.
Can you imagine what that was like? Being able to walk physically/spiritual/emotionally with the LORD without sin, guilt or blemish? To be in the Lord's Holy Presence unashamed and without fear? To be able to walk with the LORD without the penalty and power of sin messing things up? To be able to be your true self with the LORD knowing that your true self is holy and blameless?
Well, the Apostle Paul reveals to us in this letter to the Ephesians that we can enjoy such an experience this morning. That through the grace, mercy and love of Jesus we can be holy and blameless before the LORD. We are invited to be so transformed by the grace of the LORD that all of our sins are forgiven and all of our hearts are so transformed that we can truly enjoy God's Holiness and Righteousness. We are invited to experience what Adam and Eve experienced so long ago - a life of transparency, of fellowship and love.
All of this leads us to one more wonderful blessing that Paul wants us to understand. We find this blessing in verses 11ff
+Finally, this morning, we are blessed to be a People of receiving both an Inheritance and the reassuring presence of God's Holy Spirit.
Every so often through the news we hear about some fantastic story involving someone who has received a fantastic inheritance. For example:
Several years ago a couple of brothers by the names of Zsolt and Geza Peladi got the shock of their lives one day. At the time they were having to live in a cave near Budapest, Hungry eking out a meager existence by selling the junk they would find in the street. When they could get enough scrap metal they would be able to buy a little extra food and clothing. Most of the time they had to depend on the charity of others who would take pity on them.
However, one day the brothers were approached by some charity workers that had been helping them with food and clothing. They wanted to inform the brothers that their long-long grandmother had recently passed away and had left them and their sister a nice little inheritance. What they didn't know was that the inheritance would end up being worth around 7 billion dollars. Suddenly, these two penniless brothers went from beggars to billionaires. Thank-you grandma!
While not so dramatic a similar thing happened to a young lady by the name of Clara Woods back in 1992. At the time she was an energetic 17 year old working at Drin's Colonial Restaurant in her hometown of Chagrin Falls, about 15 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. Clara was known for her outgoing personality. One of her customers, an elderly man by the name of Bill Cruxton took a shine to her. Bill always made sure that when he came in the restaurant he would sit in her section. His wife had passed away so he depended on the restaurant for his daily meals. Over time Cara and Bill became great friends. When Bill needed some help around the house, Cara would come over and help him. She even ran errands for him on different occasions. Her willingness to help him touched Bill deeply. It made him feel good that such a young girl could care for such an elderly person. Cara became so important to Bill that upon his death he left the young girl a half a million dollars. Now, that's quite a tip!
In our world today, the majority of what people inherit is either cash or something that can be quickly turned into cash. That was not the way it was in the ancient world. Very often in the Jewish world, an 'inheritance' would consist in a plot of land. To a Jew, being able to own land was more precious than owning a bag of gold or silver. When one owned land one had a part of the soil that the good God of creation had spoken into existence. When one owned land one had a place to stay, a means to make a living and a way to bless others.
It all goes back to the book of Genesis (chapters 12 - 25) when the LORD GOD promised Abraham an inheritance that included a blessing, a people and a land. The LORD told Abraham that through him and his children the world would receive His blessings. The LORD told Abraham that his descendents would one day be like the grains of sand on the beach and the stars in the sky. And the LORD GOD told Abraham that one day his descendents would own their own land - the Promise Land - Canaan Land.
The story of Israel that we read about in the Old Testament is the story of a people who were to called to fulfill that inheritance. They were to be a priesthood for all nations, telling everyone about God, His Goodness and Holiness. They were to bring God's message of salvation to the whole world. They were to multiply and fill the whole earth with God's Holy People and they were to inherit God's Promised Holy Land.
Now, Paul wants his readers to know that what God had so passionately wanted to do in and through His People had now been made possible through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Paul wants his readers to know that the Good God of Creation wants all people - both Jew and Gentile to be rescued, redeemed and restored into His Holy Image. God wants people everywhere to share the message of salvation and to receive His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance in Him.
So, WHAT IS THE LAND WE ARE TO INHERIT?
Are we to understand that God wants us to go and take over the Holy Land? Are we to begin all over again some type of Holy Crusade? No. But we are to understand that God wants to make us a Holy People filled with the power of His Holy Spirit who are to his witnesses and who take over and reclaim all the earth for our Lord and King Jesus Christ.
That's right. God has called us to take not only the Holy Land for Him but all of His earth. He has called us to go and make disciples not just in Jerusalem or in Samaria but all over the world. Our mission is not merely a local mission (it is that as well) it is a global mission.
Just as God called Adam and Eve in the Garden to be fruitful and multiply and expand the Garden of Eden to take over all the earth - we are in similar manner through Jesus Christ to rescue and redeem our world. We must understand this morning that our GOD is not interested in allowing our world to rot and to decay. Our God is not interested in abandoning His good creation. Instead, God has sent His Holy Spirit to infill us so that through that Spirit we may rescue, redeem and renew our world for Him.
God has sent His Holy Spirit - the cleansing and everlasting FIRE of the HOLY SPIRIT to purify and cleanse our world from sin, from the penalty of sin and from the power of sin.
Yes, it is true that one day the LORD will return and will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. One day the LORD will bring Heaven and Earth together so that the "dwelling of God will be forever with man" (Rev. 21:3).
However, until that day arrives the LORD has given His Disciples a mission. That mission is spelled out in places like Matthew 28:16-20 and throughout the book of Acts. That mission is not to sit on our hands and simply wait for the Second Coming. That mission is not to abandon this planet and wait until the LORD burns it up a fire of judgment. That mission is not to think that SATAN is the LORD over this planet and we are waiting for Jesus to come to rescue it from His hands.
When Jesus rose again from the dead that was cosmic proof that SATAN no longer had control over creation. When Jesus defeated SATAN on the Cross and when Jesus defeated Death, Hell and the Grave and the NEW AGE OF SALVATION was inagurated. When Jesus sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost it was a cosmic sign that we as His Disciples had been given the power, the authority and the courage to be both His Witnesses and His Change Agents.
Infilled with the fire and power of His Holy Spirit, we would be able to bring healing and wholeness to our world. Infilled with the fire and power of the Holy Spirit it is now our privilege to cast out evil, to rescue and redeem our world for our Lord and King Jesus.
Part of our difficulty this morning maybe the same difficulty that Israel faced years ago. They wanted God to practically do everything for them when they entered into the Promise Land. They did not want to have to unify and fight against the forces of evil. They did not want to get their hands dirty by casting out people who had chosen to live in and promote rebellion against God. They did not want to have to physically, emotionally, socially and spiritual clean out the Promise Land. They did not want to be a people of prayer, fasting and faith. They wanted God to hand everything over to them on a silver platter.
This morning, the Victory is ours but we must receive it. It is up to us to co-partner with the Holy Spirit to rescue, redeem and renew our world. Our greatest enemy SATAN is a defeated foe but that does not mean that He will not lie, steal and kill as much as possible to attempt to destroy God's good creation and stop God's plans. SATAN is a liar and as a liar he has told the Church that neither he nor his evil forces can be stopped or defeated. And yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus defeated SATAN in the Wilderness, in the Garden and on ultimately on the Cross of Calvary.
Today, victory is our through the power of God's Holy Spirit. But it is a victory that is won through prayer and through the Holy Spirit teaching us, leading us and guiding us. It is a victory that is won by people who are dedicated to becoming saturated in God's Word. It is a victory that is won as we share the Good News with our families, with our friends and with people all over our world.
The Good News this morning is that our Savior, the LORD JESUS CHRIST is on the Throne - both in Heaven and here on Earth. The Bible tells us that Jesus has all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Therefore we must understand that Satan and every demonic force has been defeated. We must understand that through God's Holy Spirit great miracles, healings, restorations, anointings and blessings are ours for the asking. This is not the day of the absence of such manifestations but the day of great healings, miracles, restorations, redemptions and blessings.
We must understand that instead of the world conforming the Church we are to be busy transforming the world. Transforming not through a display of raw human power or through coercion or manipulation but through love. Agape love casts out all fear. Agape love unites families. Agape love heals broken hearts. Agape love enables us to forgive our enemies. Agape Love unites us to be a source of healing and wholeness for all of our world. Agape love leads people to experience salvation, redemption and sanctification.
Every time we stamp out poverty, racism, hatred, sexual immorality and the like we are taking back God's land. Every time we promote love, unity and bring healing and wholeness to a community we are taking back God's land. Every time we help someone come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD we take back God's land.
Today, Satan has been able to deceive too many in God's Church into thinking that all is either hopelessly lost or that the day of salvation is over. Satan has deceived too many into thinking that God has Himself declared that things must get worse and worse. We need to understand that such thinking is a lie from the pit of Hell itself.
Satan knows if he can deceive us with such lies that we will not even try to share the message of salvation. Satan knows if he can deceive us with such lies we will abandon prayer, God's Word and evangelism. Satan knows if he can deceive us we will withdraw into our own little safe corners and hope for the best while living in anxiety and fear.
Satan is a liar and has always been a liar. He has tricked to many in the Church of Jesus Christ to think that we are living in a lost cause. He has promoted the lie that somehow what Jesus died for on the Cross that Jesus no longer has any power. He has promoted the lie that somehow the power of the Holy Spirit has fizzled out.
I am here this morning to tell you that what Jesus did on the Cross is just as true today as it was over 2,000 years ago. Today is the day of salvation. I am here to tell you that the power of the Holy Spirit is just as powerful today as it was 2,000 years ago. Today we are living in the New Age of the Holy Spirit.
What I believe the LORD is looking for today is people who will do and be what the Early Church was some 2,000 ago - a people dedicated, sold out 100% to Jesus as Savior and LORD. I believe the LORD is looking for people who will be prayer warriors and who will dedicated their lives to studying His Word and obeying and listening to His Holy Spirit. I believe the LORD is looking for people who will take up the challenge to be change agents in their homes, in their jobs and in their communities. I believe that the LORD is looking for people who will put on the armor of God and who will experience victory over evil and sin.
The question we have to ask ourselves this morning is are we willing to help King Jesus?
Will we allow Jesus to rescue us and redeem us?
Will we allow Jesus to fill us with His Holy Spirit?
Will we then live in the power and presence of His Holy Spirit?
Will we be a prayer warrior, a person saturated in God's Holy Word and a person sharing the message of Jesus Christ?
When Jesus returns will we be found enjoying the fruits of the Holy Spirit or trying to find excuses for why we could not find time to pray, read His word, share His message or do our part to rescue, redeem and renew His world?
This morning as we close let us bow our knees to Jesus. Let us acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, our LORD and King. Let us repent of our sins and ask for God's mercy, grace and love. Let us surrender our hearts to Him and allow His Holy Spirit to infill us and give us new courage, new insight and understanding. Let us ask the LORD to lead us, guide us and show us how to be His Witnesses and Change Agents.
Closing prayer/open altar
