“Membership has It’s Privileges”
Ephesians 1:3-14
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Introduction: How many of you have a particular ad or jingle that you remember from an advertising campaign from the past. I’m amazed at all of the creative things they come up with to market a product. How many of you remember the, “have it your way” and one of my favorites, Wendy’s “where’s the beef” ad campaigns? Or the DeBeers mining syndicate informed us "A Diamond is Forever," associating itself with eternal romance. Or by the same token, the overnight package industry barely existed before Federal Express vowed to deliver "Absolutely, Positively Overnight." Or this older jingle,
“Pepsi - Cola hits the spot.
12 full ounces, that's a lot!
Twice as much for a nickel, too.
Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you!
How many of us can ever forget this campaign that ran for two decades. “Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is,” Another campaign was run by the credit card company American Express from 1987-1996. Their slogan “Membership has its privileges” was widely recognized by people as the way to live an elite lifestyle during the 80’s and 90’s. That very slogan was effective, I’m sure, at helping contribute to the debt of those who enjoy living above their means.
All of the fore mentioned slogans describe effects that are only temporary in nature and there are all kinds of “memberships” that offer certain privileges or advantages but there is one instance where membership really does have its privileges and that is when one becomes a member of the family of God. Now you can’t purchase this membership with money. Your net worth has no effect on your acceptance. No, this membership is granted freely when we are obedient to the gospel as described in the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 6:1-10). Christ adds us to his church and we are joined together with the saints from every age. – gleaned from Joe Butler
Just what are the privileges of membership in the family of God, the church of the living God? There is no way to cover all of the “spiritual blessings” or privileges mentioned in verse 3 but we can focus on three of the major points:
I. The Adoption by the Sovereign v. 5
The Greek word for adoption (huiothesia [uiJoqesiva]) means to "place as a son" and is used only by Paul in the New Testament. Each of the five occurrences in his letters is to readers of a decidedly Roman background. In one instance Paul refers to the Old Testament idea of Israel's special position as the children of God" Theirs is the adoption as sons" (Romans 9:4). The remaining four references describe how New Testament believers become children of God through his gracious choice. The full scope of God's work of salvation past, present, and future is seen in adoption.
This adoption is not the result of any merit on the part of the believer, but solely the outworking of God's love and grace ( Ephesians 1:5 Ephesians 1:7 ). Biblestudytools.com
a. The prerogative of the Father
Adoption was a very common practice in Roman culture and one that the readers and hearers of this letter could relate to and would understand. In Romans 8:15-17 we read this: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
In this passage Paul is using one of the great metaphors in which he describes the new relationship of the believer to God. He speaks of the Christian being adopted into the Family of God.
This picture of Roman adoption was always rendered more serious and more difficult by the Roman patria potestas. The patria potestas was the father’s power over his family; that power was absolute; it was actually the power of absolute disposal and control, and in the early days it was actually the power of life and death. In regard to his father a Roman son never came of age. No matter how old he was, he was still under the patria potestas, in the absolute possession, and under the absolute control, of his father. Obviously this made adoption into another family very difficult and a very serious step.
b. The payment by the Father
In a Roman adoption a person had to pass from one patria potestas to another. He had to pass out of the possession and control of one father into the equally absolute control and possession of another. There were two steps. The first was known as mancipatio, from which we get our word emancipation, and it was carried out by a symbolic sale, in which copper and scales were symbolically used. Three times the symbolism of sale was carried out. Twice the father symbolically sold his son, and twice he bought him back; and the third time he did not buy him back and thus the patria potestas was held to be broken.
After the sale there followed a ceremony called vindicatio or English vindication. The adopting father went to the praetor, one of the Roman magistrates, and presented a legal case for the transference of the person to be adopted into his patria potestas. When all this was completed the adoption was complete. Clearly this was a serious and impressive step. Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
c. The placement to the Father
But it is the consequences of adoption which are most significant for the picture that is in Paul’s mind. There were four main consequences. (1) The adopted person lost all rights to his old family, and gained all the rights of a fully legitimate son in his new family. In the most literal sense, and in the most legally binding way, he got a new father. (2) It followed that he became heir to his new father’s estate. Even if other sons were afterwards born, who were real blood relations; it did not affect his rights. He was inalienably co-heir with them. (3) In law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out. For instance, legally all debts were cancelled; they were wiped out as though they had never been. The adopted person was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do. (4) In the eyes of the law the adopted person was literally and absolutely the son of the new father.
We see then that every step of Roman adoption was meaningful in the mind of Paul when he transferred the picture of our adoption into the Family of God. Once we were in the absolute possession of sin, in absolute control of our own human nature; but God, in His mercy, has brought us into absolute possession of Himself. The old life has no more right over us; we begin again a new life; a life with God. We become heirs of all the riches of God. If that is so, we become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, Gods own Son. That which Christ inherited, and inherits, we also inherit. If Christ had to suffer we also inherit that suffering, but if Christ was raised to life and glory we also inherit that life and glory.
It was Paul’s picture that when a person became a Christian they entered into the Family of God. He did nothing to earn it; he did nothing to deserve it; God, the Great Father, in His amazing love and mercy, has taken the lost, helpless, poverty stricken, debt-laden sinner and adopted him into his own Family, so that the debts are cancelled and that unearned love and glory inherited! The price of adoption? The blood of Christ! Pilgrimtours.com
Same Family, Different Face
ILL - The appropriate attitude is revealed in an Ann Landers Column. “Dear Ann Landers: It happened again today. My two sons and I were in a shopping mall, and a total stranger felt the need to comment on the fact that my boys didn’t look anything alike. Apparently, my 6 year old decided it was time he explained the difference. "I’m adopted," he said. "That’s when you have the same family but not the same face."
Second, there is:
II. The Acceptance in the Savior v. 6
What lengths will men go to for acceptance? The answer is there is no limit. There is in all of us a basis fundamental desire to belong. This is the appeal of clubs and team sports and unfortunately gangs. The initiation rites to so many groups involve extreme behaviors. Recently I watched a video of a motorcycle gang member speak, with his face covered of what was required to be a full-fledged member of this particular group. Turns out the initiation was to kill a rival club member at the behest of the club to prove your loyalty and I suspect, as leverage to make sure that you would not reveal the clubs activities. Part of the initiation of a female club member was just as grotesque, as they must never turn down a club members request for sexual favors. One thing that is consistent with what I am talking about is that you have to do something or give something to belong. Here Paul declares that believers are “accepted” in the beloved. In Christianity we can have this powerful felt need to belong met and be accepted and we don’t have to “do” anything because it has already been “done!” What does Paul say about our acceptance? He speaks of:
a. The glory of acceptance
Notice that Paul speaks of the “praise” that God deserves because of the “glory of His grace.” How thankful should we be to God that He has conceived of the plan to save us and achieved this plan through the Jesus Christ. Paul means for his readers to be moved by the thoughts of God’s goodness in providing a plan of salvation.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
b. The grace of acceptance
Thoughts and meditations concerning what God has done then should direct our attention to what He is! Grace is the essential attribute that makes His favor towards us possible. Grace is an essential part of His nature. In the Scripture we read:
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
c. The gift of acceptance
This grace is a gift bestowed on us, not something we earned but something He sovereignly gives to us. The question for us is; “who or what is the beloved?” The answer is plain. The beloved is a who, not a what, and it is Jesus. Listen what God says about His Son…
At His baptism….Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
At His transfiguration….Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear
him.
Peter who was present at the transfiguration….2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
It is interesting to note that of the 63 times this word appears in the NT just a few refer to Jesus; the majority are used by Paul and the other Apostles to refer to those who believe in Jesus. You are “beloved” because you have been accepted in the “beloved!”
The final “spiritual blessing” is found in verses 13-14 where we read…In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
III. The Assurance of the Spirit v. 13-14
In verses 13-14 Paul uses still another picture of Roman adoption. He says that Gods Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we really are children of God. The adoption ceremony was carried out in the presence of seven witnesses. Now, supposing the adopting father died and then suppose there was some dispute about the right of the adopted son to inherit, one or more of the original seven witnesses stepped forward and swore that the adoption was genuine and true. Thus the right of the adopted person was guaranteed and he entered into his inheritance. So, Paul is saying, it is the Holy Spirit Himself who is the witness to our adoption into the family of God. Pilgrimtours.com
a. The Spirit affirms us
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Listen to this translation of this passage:
Rom 8:15 For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, "Father! my Father!" 16 God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children. 17 Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory. GNB
You don’t hear much preaching about this “inner witness” today but God’s Spirit affirms that we are His children and gives us the confidence that He is our Father.
b. The Spirit authenticates us
What does the word “sealed” refer to in verse 13? The ancient seal was a stamp or engraving set in stone, metal or some hard substance like crystal. It was usually a symbol or a figure that was used to make an impression on clay or wax, or some other soft substance. It was usually attached to an object like a possession or a document, in order to give it authenticity, ownership or authority. It was used often in the ancient world, especially in Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria and surrounding nations including Israel. Bible-history.com
The significance of the act of sealing is dependent on the importance of the one doing the sealing. A seal of the Roman government was used to seal the tomb of Christ; a seal that was broken by the power of God when the stone was rolled away. The seal authenticates the ownership or authority of what is being sealed. The Spirit is the “seal” that we belong to God.
c. The Spirit assures us
The Spirit of God is our “…earnest…” or as we find it defined in the dictionary, “the down payment or the token of something to come.”
If you have ever purchased a house or a car and had to put down some “earnest money” then you already understand this concept. When we put down this money we are promising that there will be more to come! This is what the Spirit does for us. God says that “I am giving you My Spirit as a “down payment” on what is to come.”
Finally: So what do believers have in terms of “spiritual blessings” in Christ? We have the Adoption by the Sovereign v. 5; we have the Acceptance in the Savior v. 6; and we have the Assurance of the Spirit v. 13-14.
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Conclusion: Adoption In Christ Frees Us From Satan
An illustration from history past can help us realize the significance of being children of Almighty God - an amazing concept! The image of emaciated babies and young children sitting in cribs, in a stark, ill-equipped Romanian orphanage blazed across the television screens around the world - burning deeply into the memories of many shocked individuals!
It was after the fall of the late ruthless Romanian politician, Nicolae Ceausescu (1918 - 1989), in 1989; and, conditions in Romania were awful: the children at the orphanage were malnourished - disease and death were frequent visitors! The good news was that when Ceausescu fell, the plight of the children became worldwide news; and, compassionate people from all over the world responded generously - pouring food, medicine, and money into the orphanage!
The most dramatic effort of love and compassion, however, was made by the many individuals who struggled through all of the red tape to adopt the orphans! Instead of being children of a ruthless dictator and a Communist "godless" government, they became children of parents who longed to love them and provide for them a life with hope and a future!
Almighty God has done something similar for each and every one of us! We live in a world that is dominated by a ruthless tyrant - Satan! The Holy Bible - the written Word of Almighty God - tells us that Satan is "the ruler of this world" - that he is the "god of this age" - and, that he has blinded the minds of people so that they do not believe in Christ Jesus! Those who reject Jesus, the Christ, as their personal Lord and Saviour, are called the children of the devil!
This, of course, directly contradicts the concept of what has been called the "universal fatherhood of Almighty God and the brotherhood of man!" To say that Almighty God is the loving Father of all people and that no one will ever be judged as worthy of hell is a statement that is contrary to what Jesus, the Christ, taught; and, what the Holy Bible says about who will qualify to be a child of Almighty God!
Sources: From a sermon by George Dillahunty, Our Family Status! 3/2/2010
Author Keith Miller tells of an outgoing 40-year-old woman who was part of a sharing group he led. Here is her story:
"When I was a tiny little girl, my parents died and I was put in an orphanage. I was not pretty at all and no one seemed to want me. But I longed to be adopted and loved by a family as far back as I can remember. I thought about it day and night, but everything I did seemed to go wrong. I must have tried too hard to please the people who came to look me over and what I did was to drive them away.
"But then one day the head of the orphanage told me that a family was coming to take me home with them. I was so excited that I jumped up and down and cried like a little baby. The matron reminded me that I was on trial and this might not be a permanent arrangement, but I just knew that somehow it would work out.
"So I went with this family and started to school. I was the happiest little girl you can imagine, and life began to open up for me just a little. But then one day a few months later, I skipped home from school and ran into the front door of the big old house we lived in. No one was at home, but in the middle of the front hall was my battered suitcase with my little coat thrown across it. As I stood there it suddenly dawned on me what it meant---I didn’t belong there anymore."
Miller reports that when the woman stopped speaking there was hardly a dry eye in the group. But then she cleared her throat and said almost matter-of-factly, "This happened to me seven times before I was 13 years old. But wait, don’t feel too badly. It was experiences like these that ultimately brought me to God---and there I found what I had always longed for---a place, a sense of belonging, a forever family."
Source: From a sermon by Bruce Howell, "The Essence!" 2/21/2009
