What Has God Done For Me

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.