The Church In Christ Series

1. God has a plan for His church in Christ.

2. God makes provision for His church in Christ

3. God fulfils a purpose for His church in Christ

4. God keeps a promise for His church in Christ

Some people have called Ephesians “God’s love letter to the church.” So, since God is still God, and we are His church, I can’t wait to see what He has to say to us. I feel just like the little boy who has just gotten a letter from his best friend who moved away. Picture him running back from the mailbox waiving the letter in his hand. He runs in the house yelling, “I got a letter, I got a letter!” Then he carefully tears open the envelope and pulls out the letter inside. Think of his excitement as he slowly and carefully pores over each word. That’s the way I feel today.

EPHESIANS 1:3

Within the next few weeks, our political leaders will be delivering some very important speeches to the American public. I heard on the radio the other day that the governor’s office is hard at work finalizing his annual State of the State address. With the new congress and the new Iraq policy, it will be interesting to hear President Bush’s annual State of the Union address. We all know how messed up government can be. But can you imagine having to give an annual State of the Church address? What would we say? Would we talk about all the ways we mess up? Or the church leaders across the country who have fallen to immorality? Would we focus on conflicts within churches? Or instead, would we talk about how blessed we are? Would we talk about what Jesus Christ has done for us? That’s where Paul started. He started his letter to the churches in Ephesus by reminding them of the tremendous blessings they have in Jesus. In the passage we’re looking at today, Paul starts by getting the church’s focus back where it needs to be. Before he goes on to talk about the way they should live and worship and treat each other, he refocuses them on what’s important. He refocuses them on the Lord Jesus Christ by pointing out the tremendous blessings they have in Him. Let’s spend this first Sunday morning of the New Year refocusing on Jesus Christ. As we look into this text this morning, I want each of us to see the blessings God has given us in Christ Jesus. And when we see those blessings, I want each of us to leave this place this morning praising His name for them. In order to do that, we’re going to look at four blessings God has given His church in Jesus Christ. The first blessing is that God has a plan for His church in Christ.

EPHESIANS 1:3-6

God has a plan for His church in Christ. Have you ever worked on a project that it seemed like whoever was in charge didn’t have a clue what they were doing? It’s absolutely miserable to work on a project like that. But what a blessing it is to be part of something that’s organized and well planned. At the watchnight service, we saw some slides of when the new addition was being built on the church. As we looked at those pictures, it was obvious there was a plan for what the building was supposed to look like when it was finished. If there hadn’t been a plan, who knows what it would have turned out like. That’s the same way that God builds His church. He has had a plan for His people since before the beginning of time. His plan has always been to bless us. So many times, we get confused when we think about being blessed. But what is Paul talking about here when he talks about blessing? He says we’re blessed with every spiritual blessing. Paul was sitting in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter, so I can guarantee you he’s not talking about material things. The blessings he’s talking about aren’t material—they’re spiritual. And God planned them for us from eternity past. He planned to bless us. He planned to bless us by making us holy. The passage says that, “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Before the foundation of the world, God planned that we should live free from the bondage and power of sin. Not out of obligation—out of love. God planned to bless us and make us holy. But the biggest blessing of all is that He planned to adopt us as sons. Verse 5 says, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” He didn’t have to—there was nothing in us that compelled Him to accept us. He accepts us purely and simply out of His eternal love for us—a love that He has had for us since even before He created us. That was His plan all along. His plan was to take us as rebellious, selfish creatures and adopt us as sons through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ. He planned to bless us in Christ. Bless us by adopting us and bless us by making us holy. The first blessing God has given His church is that He has a plan in Christ. But not only does God have a plan in Christ, He also makes provision for His church in Christ. The second blessing God has given His church is that He makes provision in Christ.