It is my prayer that by this time you are closer to the Lord.
Illus: We do not have to be like the man who had been hired to paint lines on the highway. As the story goes, this man’s job consisted of painting the white lines in the highway.
-The first day he painted three miles of lines.
-The second day he painted two miles of lines.
-The third day he painted one mile of lines.
His boss called him and told him, “Look, I need to talk to you about your job performance.” He continued,
- “The first day you painted three miles of lines, and that was good!”
- “The second day you painted two miles of lines, and that was not bad.”
- “The third day you only painted one mile of lines, and that was not good!
How do you explain that each day you are doing less?”
The man looked at his boss and replied, “I can explain that very easily. Each day I am getting farther and farther from the paint bucket.”
We trust that you are getting closer and closer to the Lord as you are learning from this book of Ephesians about THE RICHES WE HAVE IN CHRIST!
Look at Ephesians 1:3. We read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places IN CHRIST.”
That is, the child of God who is IN CHRIST has great RICHES IN CHRIST!
• In verse 1 we see we are SAINTS of God.
• In verse 4 we are CHOSEN of God.
• In verse 5 those who have accepted Christ as Savior are PREDESTINED “...unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself...” That is, to be sons of God.
And by the time Paul penned verse 6 he had to stop and just praise God for the riches we have IN CHRIST.
Look at verse 6. We read, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
I am convinced that the reason many churches do not have more PRAISE in their worship services is because the SAINTS of God DO NOT KNOW the riches they have IN CHRIST!
The devil has outsmarted them.
Illus: We are reminded of the story of the farmer whose rooster had done a great job but was getting old, so the farmer decided he perhaps had better replace him with one who was younger. Two times already the farmer had attempted to integrate a younger rooster in with the chickens, but both had not worked out.
So, finally the old farmer found another young rooster he felt might take the place of his old faithful rooster. He brought the young rooster and threw him in the chicken yard. All the hens watched the young rooster strut around the chicken yard.
The old rooster walked over to this fine-looking young rooster and said, “You might be younger, but you will never be as-
- good as I am, or as
- smart as I am!”
The young rooster took offense to what he said and bragged,
- “I am twice the rooster you are!”
- “I am twice as smart as you are!”
The old rooster said, “If you are so good and so smart, prove it!” The young rooster asked, “How can I prove it?”
The old rooster said, “Very easily. We will run around this chicken yard ten times and the rooster that is ahead at the end will prove he is the best.”
The young rooster said, “That won’t even be a contest, but to make it interesting I will give you half a lap head start.”
All the hens got in the middle of the chicken yard and the race started.
• After the first lap the young rooster was gaining, but all the hens were cackling for the old rooster.
• After the second lap he had gained some more on the old rooster, but still the hens were cackling for the old rooster.
• After the third lap he had gained some more.
• In the fourth lap he had almost caught up to the old rooster. The old hens were cackling as hard as they could cackle for the old rooster.
• After the fifth lap he was right behind the old rooster and the hens were going wild because they could tell their old rooster was getting tired.
The old farmer heard all the commotion and he thought it was a fox in the hen house. He and his wife ran out to the chicken yard and he saw that old rooster running as fast as he could away from that young rooster.
The farmer raised his shotgun to his shoulder, aimed at the young rooster and shot him - dead! The farmer’s wife asked, “Pa, why did you shoot that young rooster?” He said, “For the same reason I shot the two before him. I refuse to have a homosexual rooster in my chicken coop!”
You see, that old rooster outsmarted that young rooster. The devil does this to people, even God’s people are deceived. For example...
• The devil sees to it that people consider material things to be more important than God, so they spend their lives praising those things.
• He sees to it that sporting events become more important to people than God, so they spend their time praising those things.
When a person studies the book of Ephesians, and discovers the riches he has IN CHRIST, he can not help getting closer to the Lord.
After Paul stopped to praise the Lord for the riches we have IN CHRIST, he resumes showing us what we have IN CHRIST in verses 7 - 12. Let’s see some of the things he tells us we have IN CHRIST.
I. LOOK AT OUR REDEMPTION.
In verse 7 we read, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” This is a very important verse of scripture. It should be high-lighted in your Bible if you do not already have it high-lighted. Why? Because IT TELLS HOW WE ARE SAVED!
Look at that verse very closely, “In Whom (IN CHRIST) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
One of the fastest ways to detect a liberal preacher is to find out whether or not he places emphasis on the blood of Christ that was shed for our redemption. Christ’s sacrifice shows how much He cares for us.
Illus: A young girl, as she was growing up, was always embarrassed by how ugly her mothers hands were. In her teen years she became even more embarrassed. For example, she had a date one night and asked her mother if she would mind wearing gloves to conceal her hands. The mother was hurt that her daughter was ashamed of her hands. The daughter saw that she had crushed the heart of her mother, and she said, “Mom, I am sorry. I should not have said that!” Then the girl said, “Mom, you have never told me what happened to your hands. Can’t you tell me?” The mother said, “Honey, when you were a baby, our house caught on fire. I wrapped you all up in a blanket to protect you from the fire, but the fire got to my hands. That is why they are so scared and ugly.” The young girl began to cry. She reached over and kissed her mother’s hands and told her mother that her hands were the most beautiful hands in the whole world. She told her, “Mom, do not ever cover those beautiful hands again!”
What made the difference in the way that young lady perceived her mother’s hands? The difference lay in her realizing that her mother’s hands had been burned that her life might be saved.
The thing that THRILLS US and EXCITES US about the precious blood of Christ is that we know it was shed that we might be saved from our sins, from spending eternity in Hell.
The churches where the preacher does not preach, teachers do not teach, and people do not sing about the precious blood of Christ do not know what Christ has done for them!
In verse 6, Paul praised God for His riches. WHAT ARE “...THE RICHES...” (Verse 7) Look at the last part of verse six. He tells us - “...wherein he hath made us accepted IN THE BELOVED.”
- Listen, you can join every church in town and that will not make you IN CHRIST!
- You can tithe half your income every week and that will not get you IN CHRIST!
- You can be baptized in every creek in the county and that will not get you IN CHRIST!
- You can spend your life doing good things like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and that will not get you IN CHRIST!
There is only one thing that will get you IN CHRIST. The Bible tells us, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
We live in an age in which many people are offended when a minister of the gospel preaches about the blood of Christ.
Illus: A couple came to a new pastor and said, “We certainly hope you are not like the former pastor.” The new pastor said, “What was your former pastor like?” They said, “He was not refined enough for us. Every time he preached, he preached about the blood of Christ. We certainly hope you do not preach very much about the blood!” The new pastor said, “Oh, I can assure that I will not preach too much about the blood.” A smile was crossing their faces, but soon disappeared when the pastor continued, “The reason I will not preach too much about the blood is because it is impossible to say too much about it.”
The Bible clearly tells us, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins...”
“Redemption” is translated from the Greek word “apoputrosis (as-ol-oo-tro-sis),” which means, “A releasing effected by payment of ransom.”
The ugly devil had us in his clutches. The only thing that made it possible for us to be released from the bondage of Satan was in Christ paying the ransom. The price Jesus paid was His own PRECIOUS BLOOD!
WHAT DID THE RANSOM BUY FOR US?
(1) It bought us FREEDOM from the BONDAGE OF SIN.
(2) It also provided FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.
Look at verse 7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins...”
The Greek word translated “forgiveness,” is “aphesis (af-es-is),” which means, “To be released from bondage or imprisonment.”
We are all guilty of sin and have lived under the guilt of sin, but when Christ shed His precious blood on Calvary we were LOOSED FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN and the GUILT OF SIN!
Redemption is a marvelous word. The New Testament has three Greek words for redemption.
A. Agorazo, which means, “To buy at the marketplace.”
Illus: This is something every housewife does. That is, she will go to the marketplace and see a batch of collards and she will reach into her purse for money and will PAY FOR THEM. She can then take them home because they belong to her.
Paul used “agorazo” in I Cor. 6:20, when he said, “For ye are bought with a price...”
B. Exagorazo, which means, “To buy out of the marketplace.” The Greek word carries with it the meaning of buying something for our own use.
Illus: Some people buy something only to resell.
But, this Greek word means to buy something for one’s own use, not for re-sale.
In our text this simply means that He has bought us and we will forever be His. Isn’t it exciting to know that not only has HE BOUGHT US, but we have been bought FOR ETERNITY.
Illus: A little boy had made a sail boat with his own hands. He was playing with it one day when a puff of wind carried it too far out into the stream and the current took it away. Then one day he and his mother were down town when he looked in a store window and there was his boat in the window of a shop that sold used merchandise. They went inside and asked the owner how much he wanted for the boat. He looked at the boy and said, “Sonny, I guess the boat would cost you about a quarter.” The young boy pulled a quarter out of his pocket and gave it to the man. As the boy and his mother left the store, he was heard to say, “You are mine twice. I made you, and now I have paid for you.”
That is exactly what the Lord has done. He made us, then we were lost and He paid for us. We are HIS!
I do not know about you, husband, but that is the way I feel about my wife. SHE IS MINE! I do not want to share her with any man. SHE IS MINE!
When I married her, it cost me two things:
(1) It cost me $10.00 for the license, and
(2) It cost me some of my blood for a blood test.
She is mine, and I do not want to share her with any man!
There are several things about dying that I do not like.
I do not like the idea that when I die my family and friends are going to put me in a hole, throw dirt on me, and then go home and eat potato salad.
Another thing I do not like about death is that I do not want any other man driving my car, sleeping in my bed, wearing my clothes, and I CERTAINLY DO NOT WANT ANY OTHER MAN TO HAVE MY WIFE.
Again, this Greek word, “exagorazo” means, “To buy for one’s own use.” This is the way it is used in Galatians 3:13. We read, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
The third Greek word for redemption is...
C. Apolutrosis, which means, “To liberate by the paying of a ransom in order to set a person free. This is used in our text where we read, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins...” This word carries with it the meaning of all three of these Greek words. That is...
- Not only have we been paid for at the marketplace.
- Not only have we been paid for outside of the marketplace for His use.
Also, we have been set free from the bondage of sin.
You see, the problem with us mortals is that we are slaves to sin. One of the things I see as a pastor as I counsel people over and over again is that the people do not seem to be able to overcome their sin. They say, “Preacher, I do not want to keep living like this, but I find myself continuing to do that which I do not want to do.”
Illus: A pastor was talking to a young lady in the hospital. She was having some serious emotional problems as a result of her sin. She told the pastor she knew her problem was the result of her sin. She was married and had been having an extra-marital relationship for over a year, and the double life was about to destroy her. She cried as she said, “Preacher, I have broken up with him a dozen times, but I keep going back to him. Why? Why?”
Why? Because Satan had her in the bondage of sin. She had become a slave to sin. There is only One who can make her free. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Illus: The song every church ought to sing often, is, “There Is Power In the Blood.” Why? Because, it is the power of Christ that sets us free from sin.”
Notice, the “forgiveness” only comes after the shedding of His precious blood!
Illus: Often when a criminal is condemned to die in America some people will protest the death sentence with placards that say, “Be like Christ, forgive.” The message is clear. That is, they are saying two things:
(1) They are saying if we plan to be Christlike we must forgive the man who has taken another life.
(2) They are saying this is the way Christ forgives.
But listen, this is not the way Christ forgives. He gave His precious blood that we might be forgiven.
If you are going to forgive the way Christ did, you would have to be willing to pay the price for the criminal’s crime so he would not have to pay it.
The good news of the gospel is to we who have sinned, He died so we do not have to die. We are FORGIVEN because HE PAID THE PRICE!
Conclusion/Summary: In I Peter 1:18-19, we read, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
(#3 - 1 of 3)
I. LOOK AT OUR REDEMPTION.
(#4 - 2 of 3)
II. LOOK AT OUR REVELATION.
(#5 - 3 of 3)
III. LOOK AT OUR REWARDS.
