Sermon preached by Rev. Larry C. Brincefield on Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Title: Ephesians #3:
Text: Ephesians 1:7-10
Introduction
1. Last week we praised the Lord for 3 things…
• All spiritual blessings.
• That fact that God chose us…
• And He predestined us.
2. In this next passage of Scripture, we find that Paul goes on and lists some of the spiritual blessings that we have to be thankful for.
Let’s read about them in our text: Ephesians 1:7-10
Body
1. We have Redemption through His blood v. 7a
A. Christ has redeemed us
• The word "redemption" is one of the great words of the Bible.
• It gives the idea of deliverance or setting a man free by paying a ransom.
• For example, a prisoner of war or a kidnapped person is held for ransom.
• If the family pays the ransom…
• Then the prisoner will go free…
• If no one agrees to pay the ransom…
• Then the prisoner will be killed.
• In each case the person is unable to free themselves.
• They are unable to pay the penalty that is demanded for their liberation.
B. In the spiritual sense, this has great meaning…
• We have been kidnapped by the forces of sin.
• From the moment we are born…
• We are under the control of sin.
• Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
• All people sin and they cannot stop sinning on their own…
• Satan has us under his control…
• We are unable to liberate ourselves from the power of sin.
• We need liberation…and there was no one to step forward and pay the ransom….
• Until Jesus Christ came!!
• God has redeemed us by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.
• God has paid the ransom for our release…
• a life for a life…
• God gave His own Son so that we might be set free.
• We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ
• Matthew 20:28 says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
• Romans 3:24 says, “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus;
• when cry out to God to save us,…
• God pays the price for our ransom…
• He “buys us back” as it were from the power of satan…
• The price that He paid was the life’s blood of Jesus, His Only Son.
C. Pretty incredible isn’t it?
• That’s quite a spiritual blessing!!
• Why would God do something like that?
• We find the answer to that at the end of verse 7…
• “In him we have redemption through his blood,…
• IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE”
• God redeems us because of His grace…
• He loves us with a love that is so great…
• And yet we cannot even begin to understand it…
• And yet that same love motivates Him to do whatever is required to save people from their sin.
• Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life”
• So Jesus willingly went to the cross…
• And as Horatio Spafford wrote in that great hymn, “It is well with my soul”, “Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul”
2. So, we have redemption through His blood…what an incredible spiritual blessing…
A. We also have forgiveness of sins…v. 7b
• This spiritual blessing runs parallel to the idea of redemption…
• But there’s great meaning in this word, “Forgiveness”…
• That I want to explore it in more detail…
• All people are guilty of breaking God’s law…
• And the penalty for breaking that law is death….
• But the blood of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness to all people who are willing to accept it.
• He took the penalty of sin upon Himself…
• He was able to do this because He was the only Perfect Man;
• When He died, He died as the Perfect Man,…
• So that we don’t have to…
• Anyone who believes that Jesus Christ died for him…
• and accepts Him in their heart…
• is forgiven of their sins.
• So, when God looks at us…
• He doesn’t see our sin…
• He sees the blood of Jesus…
• the guilt and penalty for breaking God’s laws are completely removed….
• Our sin and our guilt is washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. —Practical Word Studies in the New Testament
• We are no longer “guilty” of that sin…
• We are forgiven…
B. Picture it like this…
• Let’s say that you owe me $10,000,000 dollars…
• It is a legitimate debt…
• You really do owe me the money…
• But let’s say, that instead of holding you responsible for that debt…
• I just erase it out of the books…
• I forgive the debt…
• That would be quite a blessing for you, wouldn’t it?
• God did something much greater…
• He forgave a debt that could only be paid by your death…
• But He looked at the blood of Jesus…
• And erased that debt!!
• Forgiveness…what an incredible spiritual blessing!!
3. And the final spiritual blessing that I would like to look at tonight, “he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” v. 8.
A. Commentators differ on the meaning of this verse…
• Some indicated that this is referring to God’s wisdom and understanding…
• And others indicate that it means that God gave us all wisdom and understanding.
• Given the context, I’m more inclined to go with that second one.
B. God has given us wisdom and understanding…
• Not just a miniscule supply…
• But He LAVISHED it upon us…
• Because of what it says in the next verse,…
• He made known to us the mystery of His will
• Which is what?
• I’ll let you in on a little secret…
• The mystery of God’s will…
• Is that salvation is for everyone!!!
• It is God’s will that no one should perish…
• And that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
• Why is that such a mystery?
• It used to be that God had a “chosen people”…
• The Children of Israel…
• But when Jesus came…
• Everything changed…
• Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost…
• Jew, Gentile, Samaritan…you…me…everyone…
• “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight…Jesus loves the little children of the world”
• So, now you know the secret!...
Conclusion
1. Paul tells us in the Ephesians…
• We have great spiritual blessings…
• We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus!...
• We are forgiven our sin…
• We are given wisdom and understanding to understand the mystery that is no longer a mystery…
• God wants everyone to know Him.
2. In Verse 10, Paul tells us that there is coming a time when all things are going to come together under the Head of Jesus Christ.
• The word Paul uses for “to be put into effect”…
• Or the KJV uses “dispensation”…
• Or the NASV uses “administration”…
• Carries the literal idea of “household arrangement”…
• Or “putting your house in order”…
• In other words, this universe is like one great big household…
• God is managing this house…
• Handling all the arrangements…
• Taking care of all the administrative duties…
• Until that day when Christ comes and sets up His earthly kingdom…
• And all disharmony and dissension will be banished…
• And Scripture says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11)
3. When Paul said, “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” Eph. 1:3…
• He wasn’t just kidding was he?
• We have tremendous spiritual blessing…
• Not the least of which is…
• We were redeemed by the blood of Jesus…
• God paid the ransom in the blood that Jesus shed on the cross…
• We have forgiveness of sins…
• We are no longer guilty for our sin…
• God has wiped that debt away!
• Erased it out of the book!
• And God has given us wisdom and understanding…
• Without that wisdom and understanding…
• We would be unable to even begin to discern the things of God…
• But because of this great spiritual blessing…
• God helps us in our understanding of Scripture…
• He helps us in our understanding of His will…
• And He helps us in knowing Him better…
• Tremendous spiritual blessings available for the Christian!!
