Ephesians 1:3-14
We are the Wealthy Children of God
How many of you know the story of the Munity on the Bounty? The Bounty was a British ship that set sail in 1787, bound for the South Seas. The crew was sent to plant fruit trees and make some of the islands more habitable for colonization. And they did just that for the first six months on the islands.
When it came time to leave, however, the sailors rebelled. They liked the native girls and the warm weather. So they set Captain Bligh and a few loyal men adrift in a tiny boat. Soon after, the British government sent an expedition to punish the mutineers. Fourteen were captured.
Nine mutineers, however, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and a mile wide. Ten years later, drinking and fighting had left only one man alive--John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island’s population.
Around this time, Adams discovered the "Bounty’s" Bible in the bottom of an old chest. As he read it, God’s love and forgiveness transformed his murderous heart forever. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island was transformed. And that transformation still takes place 200 years later. In 1988, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island was a Christian.
The Bible is powerful; it transforms people. It answers those hard questions of life: Who am I and why am I here? It changes our perspective and gives us direction.
Now, I know that this summer is busy. You have many things going on. But none is as important as our connection with God through the Bible. So, as we begin this Bible study of Ephesians, I ask you to pray with me and commit yourself to studying this life-changing message with us at every opportunity.
PRAYER FOR GOD’S BLESSING.
The Bible changes us first of all, by reminding us who we are. And Ephesians starts right there. It reminds us that we are the wealthy Children of God.
“What?” you say, “I’m not rich!” I’ve got more bills than bumps on a pickle. I’ve got a mortgage that I will still be paying when my great grandchildren pass away. I’ve got a job that could disappear tomorrow.”
Unfortunately, we so often measure who we are by what we have or don’t have. We are something if we have the hottest car on the block. We are “all that” if we are advertising Abercrombie and Fitch on a nappy looking t-shirt. We have something if our garage is packed full of junk. We are something if we can travel the globe. And if we don’t have, our lives seem so empty. Even when we have, it’s not all we want or think we need. How short-term and shallow we can be!
The people in Ephesus (the Ephesians to whom Paul wrote) probably had similar faults. You will notice that Ephesus was on the coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). It was a thriving port town of over 300,000 people. It was the most important trade center in that part of the world. It was a city of culture and proud history. Money was everywhere. People talked about it, dreamed about it and prayed for it. It was their life.
That’s probably one of the reasons Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians this way in verse 3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He wants to remind us that, no matter what we have, we are the Wealthy Children of God. We are richer than we could ever imagine – past, present and future.
First of all,
1. We were chosen by God in the past.
Look at verse 4: “For he chose us in [Jesus] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
We were never the kind of kids who planned ahead. We were always clambering to put cards together on Father’s Day; we were in our bedrooms right after worship coloring, cutting and pasting desperately before dad could get in our room. And there was definitely something missing, especially when dad got wet glue on his hands while opening his card.
God’s different. He’s the kind of God who plans ahead. He’s never spontaneous about you. Paul says that he chose you before the Creation of the world. Billions upon billions of years ago, he planned for your arrival. Knowing everything you were going to be and do, knowing about that about that blurry year of college and that rotten relationship and that tempestuous temper, he planned to love you anyway, adopt you and take care of you the best way his infinite mind could dream up.
In other words, the captain of the eternal kickball team chose you first, long before the bases were even plopped on the field. You weren’t the last one left after all the good kickers were picked. God didn’t say, “I guess we’ll take her.” You were part of his eternal, loving plan. You were first on his mind before the birth of the stars. That’s rich!
But you’re even richer yet, because Paul says,
2. We are “in the know” right now
Look at verse 7, “In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,
We’ve all been there. Since it was Halloween, you assumed everyone would be wearing costumes to the party. So, you show up as Speedy Gonzalez, complete with sombrero and whiskers only to find everyone else in casual clothes. Or, you drive all the way to the zoo, only to find out they’re closed on Sundays. Or, pulling into the parking lot at Great America, your spouse says, “I thought you were going to bring the tickets.” It would have been nice if someone told me. There are certain things it would be nice to know, certain things it’s comforting to know, certain things it’s necessary to know.
Our passage puts us “in the know”. God has lavished complete forgiveness on us through the blood of Jesus. The word “lavished” literally means “given us an abundance.” In other words, God has given you more forgiveness than you will ever need! You cannot out-sin God’s undeserved love. After one of those days when you got nothing right, when every good intention of faithfulness got flushed down the toilet, when you were infinitely more crabby than Christian, you are still forgiven as you climb into bed. And there is still enough forgiveness for tomorrow.
2 Corinthians puts us even further in the know: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” (5:19) God reconciled whom? The rich? The well-dressed? The good-looking? People with goatees? No, God reconciled the world. That means you. Someone once wrote, “Isn’t it great to be included? Universities exclude, businesses exclude, sports exclude, but God? Never!”
The whole world has more forgiveness than it will ever need. But most people don’t know that. They’ve heard a few rumors that God is love. But they wander around wondering if they’ve ticked him off. They hope they can do enough to make him happy, but they’re never quite sure.
Not you. Our loving God has put you “in the know,” a mystery that brings eternal joy: You are totally forgiven today. And you will be tomorrow, too. That’s rich!
But you’re even richer yet. Why? Because…
3. We are sealed for the future in Christ.
Look at verse 13: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in [Jesus] with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-- to the praise of his glory.
You ever heard of a “Movie Mangler?” Me neither. I just made it up. But a “Movie Mangler” is someone who gives up the ending to a movie you would like to see. He says things like, “I really cried when Shelby dies in Steel Magnolias.” Or, “I didn’t realize that Darth Vader was Luke’s father.” It stinks to know the end of a movie before you see it. But when it comes to life, it stinks not to know the ending. It’s nerve wracking not to know if you will be carried to heaven or hell when you die.
God knows that. And he loves you too much to keep you hanging. So he gives you assurance for the future. Remember, Ephesus was a trade city. The people were constantly talking about deals, steals, agreements and contracts. They knew all about sealing a deal. God is reminding you, that through faith in Jesus, your deal with him is sealed. You are guaranteed heaven. Although you can always jump out of his hand, Jesus himself said, “Nothing can snatch them from my hand.” Trouble, trials, tribulations and tormentors can do nothing to take you away from Jesus or snatch you out of heaven. Your future is guaranteed in him.
In fact, God has even put a deposit down on you—the Holy Spirit, who lives in your heart. He is the down payment for your spot in heaven. The word which Paul used for deposit is arrabon. In modern Greek, an arrabona is an engagement ring—it’s a deposit, a guarantee that a man is going to marry a woman. When I gave my wife her engagement ring, it was my deposit, my guarantee, that I was going to marry her. It was the warning that if she wanted to run, she’d better do it soon! Through faith in Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord has made a guarantee that he will take you to heaven. You need not be afraid, even of the future.
Are you starting to catch on yet? Do you know who you are? You’re the Wealthy Child of God! You’re rich! You may not have all you ever desired, but your Father desires to have you above all. That’s why he chose you in the past, put you in the know and sealed your future in Jesus. You are rich! Let that wonderful message about who you are transform you. Let it change your perspective as it did for John Adams all those years ago on Pitcairn Island. And come back to learn more about why we exist next week.
