What Has God Done For Me Part I
Ephesians 1:3-14
11/28/04
As we talk to people about Christ Jesus you will in all likelihood hear the following words, “If God is real what exactly has he done for you.” Could you answer that question? Is this question, or one similar to it, keeping you from witnessing for Christ Jesus? Can you tell someone what God has done for you? You see it is okay to raise this question. We need to ask this question so that we can see exactly what God has done for us. In fact He wants us to examine our lives so we can see what has done, is doing, and will be doing for us. And those who we will be witnessing too have examined their lives and discovered that something is missing in their lives. They are searching for whatever it is to fill that empty space but nothing they have bought or tried satisfy that need. So when we come they are searching and they want to know what God can do for them. What are you going to say? Are you going to allow the fear of this question keep you from witnessing for Christ. But this question is on of the most common questions that we will run into. Remember they are searching for something and if we don’t witness to them they will find other things to try to fill that void.
Illustration
A man who had bee a drunkard on Chicago’s skid row for many years came to a mission one night. He heard the message, ate the meat, and went to bed. That was his last night on earth. He died poverty-stricken and friendless, never to see another day. What he did not know was that he had an inheritance of over four million dollars waiting for him in England. The Authorities had searched for him but were unable to find him because he had no address. Here was a man who had all the material wealth he could want, but he lived and died in poverty.
In this sense he was just like man Christians and non-Christians alike, who live in spiritual poverty because they are not fully aware of their wealth in Christ.
God’s blessings touch Christians and non-Christians as well. But as for Christians there are blessings that are specific to Christians. These blessings are denied non-Christians and they are the greatest blessings. So just exactly what are these blessings?
First I want you to know that every blessing that comes our way comes from God. Verse 3
a. Our salvation comes from God. Verse 7
b. We are adopted by God. Verse 5
c. He made know to us the Gospel. Verse 9
d. We are co-inheritor with Christ Jesus. Verse 11
e. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Verse 13
Just what are spiritual blessings?
Before we accept Christ Jesus we are physically alive but spiritual we are dead. It is at the moment of our accepting Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior that the Holy Spirit quickens our spirit and we become spiritually alive. The Holy Spirit strives with us and it is the Holy Spirit that makes us spiritually alive. A poem that I like to use to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is this:
What God chooses, HE cleanses
What God cleanses, He molds
What God molds, He fills
What God Fills, He uses.
J.S. Baxter
As a Christian we are to receive spiritual blessings. Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord Savior, our blessings are in Christ. Right now if you and I saved we are seated in Christ. So when someone says “Are you going to heaven some day.” “Your answer should be I’m already there in Christ.” If Christ is in us and we are in Him then we are already in Heaven because Christ is right at this moment sitting at the right hand of God. That is the position that He has given us. We have everything in Christ; we can’t improve on that. When we come to Christ we receive everything in Him. Now we can either lay hold to these blessings or not lay a hold to them.
An heir to a British nobleman was living in poverty and barely eked out an existence. After the noble man died they began to look for him and when they found him they told him about his inheritance. A great deal of publicity was made of it. Do you know what he did? He had a choice to make he either could grasp the inheritance or deny it. He immediately went down to the clothing store and ordered their best suit and then bought a first class ticket to return to England in Style. Do you know why? He believed the inheritance was his, and he acted upon it.
Just as the man we can either travel in our Christian life in first class or we can travel in steerage. That is why we need to examine our life and see what God has done for us. We are not questioning God when we do this no we are praising God because we recognize what all God has done for us. So lets examine our lives and see some of the things that God does for each of us.
Lets look at the first thing that God has done for us. Our salvation comes from Christ Jesus verse 7. We did nothing to earn our salvation. We did nothing to deserve salvation. But HE still sent His son to earth, to live as a human, to be tempted, to die on the cross, be buried, and raised again. He did that for you and me. God knew in eternity past that you and I would accept His Son as our Lord and Savior. Now the word predestination gives some people a problem. Does this mean that God chooses who will and will not be saved? If this is true then God’s word is wrong when He says that we have freewill, that we chose whether or not to believe. What this word means is this Back in eternity past God knew every human being that would ever live. Since God is all knowing, all when, all where and all time, He knew what decision each one would make regarding Jesus Christ. He did not choose us but before the foundation of the earth was laid He knew what each human being would decide about their salvation. Therefore we choose in our lifetime but God has always known what we would elect to do regarding our salvation hence He calls us the elect.
But notice that we did nothing for salvation. We were unacceptable to God because of sin. There was nothing that we could do to earn salvation. We could not clean up ourselves enough to enter Heaven. So how did God make us acceptable? He sent His Son to die on the cross, to be buried, and to rise again and ascend into heave. He redeemed us with His blood. A sacrifice had to die and blood had to be spilt. Jesus bought us from with His blood. This is the reason why Jesus came to the Earth. Before we were slaves to sin and He came to deliver us and give us liberty by paying a price for us. This price was His blood. We must put our trust in Jesus Christ.
God has redeemed us according to the riches of His grace. He bought us in order to set us free. God saved us by Grace, it does not put us in debt to Him, but we are suppose to serve Him. Yes but we don’t serve because we owe God but because we love God. Jesus wants us to serve Him but He wants you to serve because you loved Him.
Illustration
While I was in college I heard a story that illustrates this point quite well. It may not be politically correct but I am going to tell it anyway. It illustrates a great truth that we all need to realize. In the south during slavery there was a beautiful young slave girl who was put on the auction block. Present was a very cruel slave owner who began to bid on the girl. Every time he would bid, the girl would cringe and a look of fear would come over her face. A plantation owner who was kind to his slaves saw this and began to bid. Eventually he won and purchased her. He paid the price and started to walk away. The girl followed. He turned around and said “You misunderstand I don’t need another slave you are free.” She simply stood there for a moment not believing what she had just heard. No longer a slave. Then she fell to her knees and asked “Why?” “I will serve you forever.”
Now that is the way Christ Jesus wants us to serve Him. Not out of obligation but out of love and wonder at what He had done for us. We are to serve Him because we know that we could not do anything to help ourselves but He did it all.
This is the first wonderful blessing that God has given us as Christens. And it is the most glorious one. Because If He had not provided a plan for our salvation we would have no hope, we would be eternally separated from God. You see this is what God has done for us as Christians He saved us from an eternity in hell eternally separated from Him. This is the first thing you can share with someone who is not saved. You can share your greatest blessing of salvation with those who don’t have this spiritual blessing.
But God did not stop with just providing for our salvation. No He also adopted us as His sons. Verse 5
God has never predestined anyone to be lost. If you are lost, it is because you have rejected God’s remedy. This is where your free will comes in and you have determined for yourself what you choice will be.
So what does this mean? We are adopted by God. This means we are brought into the place of full-grown sons. This implies two very important things.
(1) Adoption into son ship means regeneration.
a. We have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
b. The as children of God have been born again spiritually.
c. We are born into a new relationship with God.
(2) Adoption also means a place or position and privilege.
a. When we are saved we are born into the royal family of God as a babe in Christ; but we are also given the position of an adult son. We are in a position where we can understand the word of the Father because He has given us the Holy Spirit as our teacher.
Illustration
A new mother stayed with her parents for several days after birth of her first child. One afternoon she remarked to her mother that it was surprising the baby had dark hair, since both her husband and she were fair. The grandmother said, “well your daddy has black hair.” To which the daughter replied, “But mama, that doesn’t matter, because I’m adopted.” With an embarrassed smile, that mother said the most wonderful words her daughter had ever heard: “I always forget” Isn’t that wonderful. The mother loved the daughter so much that she forgets that she is adopted. That is God He forgets that we are adopted. All Christians are adopted children of God who are accepted by God with the same unconditional love that this mother had for her daughter. So you can now also share that God not loved you so much that He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten son for us but that He has adopted you and made you a part of the royal family in heaven.
Conclusion
This morning we have examined two blessings that God gives us. Tonight we will examine 3 more. Often we take God’s blessings for granted. We place blinders on our eyes so that we don’t see all the blessings that God sends our way. But until we see what God has done for us we will continue going through life blinded to our blessings. So wake up in the morning and think about your salvation and realize that because of our salvation we are son’s of God. What an awesome thought.
But if you are here this morning and have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then you have no part in these blessings that we talked about this morning.
