Ephesians: Rich With Blessings (2)
Notes
Transcript
Blessings Through the Son
Blessings Through the Son
EPHESIANS 1:7–12
Next we should praise God for the blessings we have through the Son.
Paul now overflows with praise to God for His great redemption accomplished through Christ, the forgiveness that is ours because of His death, God’s plan to sum all things up in Him, and the rich inheritance that is ours.
A. Our Redemption
A. Our Redemption
(1:7)
Redemption denotes liberation from bondage or imprisonment.
It harks back to Israel’s release from Egypt. When they were delivered from the Red Sea, they sang the song of salvation (Exod 15),
and we should as well.
Our redemption is spoken of as an event that has already taken place.
Paul says, “We have redemption.”
It is not that we hope to have redemption; we have it.
Read how he describes it in Colossians, the “parallel book” to Ephesians:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Through His Shed Blood
Paul says that this redemption has come at a cost. “Through His blood” (Eph 1:7) we have this deliverance.
This signifies the sacrificial death of Jesus.
In Revelation 1:5 John says..
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Elsewhere, Paul says, (1 Cor 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
, and (Gal 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
We can be redeemed from the penalty of sin and from the prison house of sin, but it is not cheap.
Our freedom cost Jesus His blood.
He took our place.
He bore our sins in His body on the tree.
B. Our Remission
B. Our Remission
Forgiveness of sins
Paul says that this redemption is linked with the forgiveness of sins.
We find forgiveness only in Christ.
In Mark 2 Jesus told the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends, “Son, Thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5).
The Pharisees objected, saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
In that passage Jesus showed everyone that forgiveness was more important than physical healing and that He has the authority as God the Son to forgive sins.
If He has forgiven our sins, then we should pour out our hearts in adoration to Him.
In Luke 7 we read of a woman who poured out expensive oil to anoint Jesus in adoration.
The Pharisees, who were too self-righteous to seek Jesus for forgiveness, grumbled at this.
Jesus said she was lavish in her adoration because she realized how much she had been forgiven.
Those who do not realize how much they have been forgiven do not praise Jesus like this.
We too should love Him greatly because we have been forgiven much!
The psalmist said, Ps 130:3–4
If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, That thou mayest be feared.
And all of this is in accordance to the Riches of His Grace.
Redemption and forgiveness are “according to the riches of His grace .
We are the recipients of Christ’s extravagant goodness and kindness. We do not have words to describe God’s amazing grace.
C. Our Revelation
C. Our Revelation
(1:8–10)
He has given us Wisdom and Prudence.
He has given us Wisdom and Prudence.
God expresses His grace by giving us “wisdom and prudence” (v. 8).
God’s lavish dispensing of grace in redemption involves forgiveness and the wisdom to know how to live in light of His saving plan (as expressed in the following verses).
He has made known to us the
mystery of his will..
mystery of his will..
By God’s grace, “He made known to us the mystery of His will” (v. 9).
He has revealed His eternal plan to us, and that plan centers on the Redeemer.
what is his will?
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
His Plan
His Plan
It is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.
When?
In the fullness of time
When God says, “Son go get ‘em”
God’s people yearn for something better then this old fallen world.
Paradise was lost in Adam, but it will be restored in Christ.
We are just strangers and pilgrams, just a passing through.
There is coming a day that he will restore what is His.
The dead in Christ shall rise first, and those which remain shall be called up together to meet Him in the air. Hallelujah!
That leads us into the next thing we have through Christ, which is....
D. Our Reward
D. Our Reward
1:11-12
Paul tells us that now we are in Christ we have the blessing of an An inheritance
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
We have been given an inheritance because we are children of God. What is that inheritance?
A. We have inherited eternal life - Mt. 19:29
A. We have inherited eternal life - Mt. 19:29
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Christ is saying, that when you make him first in your life, you will have eternal life. If he aint first, he anit yours.
Thank about that one. Do you put Him before all else or do you just “fit Him in” when its convenient for you?
B. We have inherited the full rights of a Son - Gal. 4:6-7
B. We have inherited the full rights of a Son - Gal. 4:6-7
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Yall should be getting happy, right about now. Paul says we are heirs and have full rights as His Son. How about that.
C. We have inherited the kingdom - Luk. 22:28-30
C. We have inherited the kingdom - Luk. 22:28-30
Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
I know, Christ was talking to His disciples here, but will we not inherit a kingdom? I believe Revelation tells us, that we will rule and reign with Him.
D. We have inherited all things - Rev. 21:7
D. We have inherited all things - Rev. 21:7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
We are the richest people in the world. We own all that is God’s because we have been adopted into the family of the living God.
And just to make sure that you and I dont forget that, He sent His Spirit to make sure...
Blessings of The Spirit
Blessings of The Spirit
Eph.1:13-14.
The main thought of verses 13, 14 centers around the significance of the presence of the Spirit in the life of believers.
The manner in which He is referred to (“that holy Spirit of promise”) is worthy of note.
The Spirit is in Himself holy, and it is His mission and work to make us holy.
He is called the “Spirit of promise” because His coming was the fulfillment of promise,
His manifestation at Pentecost and His ministry with believers having been predicted by the prophets (cf. Joel 2:28) and reaffirmed by Christ (cf. John 14–16; Acts 1:4, 5).
And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions:
When God gave us His Spirit, he gave it to us so that we would have a Comforter, a counselor
and a con-victor.
But Here in Eph.1 Paul tells us that God has given us His Spirit to let us know a few things about what we are now that we are His.
The first thing God wants us to know is..
A. We are His Property
A. We are His Property
The Spirit is God’s way of letting us know that we are His.
The word sealed has many different meanings.
The Word sealed speaks of a finished transaction.
Even today, when important legal documents are processed, they are stamped with the official seal to signify the completion of the transaction.
This sealing also implies ownership:
Many in Pauls day would place a brand or seal on there livestock to show ownership
God has put his seal on us because He has purchased us to be His own (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
It also means protection.
The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus carried this meaning (Matt. 27:62–66) Same greek word.
So, the believer belongs to God, and is safe and protected. The enemy cant touch you.
According to John 14:16–17, the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever.
It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry (Eph. 4:30).
But He doesn’t leave us.
Another use for the word seal is
a mark of authenticity.
Just as a signature on a letter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of the Spirit proves the believer is genuine.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
It is not simply our lip profession, our religious activity, or our good works, but the witness of the Spirit that makes our profession authentic.
The second thing that God wants us to know is that...
B. We are His Possession
B. We are His Possession
The word earnest here, some have related to an engagement.
I dont like that analogy because in today’s society you can break off an engagement with little to no consequences.
This word is better related to earnest money paid down on a house.
When someone really wants a house and are serious about it, they want to be sure that the people know it so they will put down large amounts of earnest money, which is a down payment towards total purchase of the home.
If they back out they are out the money that they put down.
In terms of what God has done, He has already bought you, you are His property, He has just given us His Spirit to let us know that.
God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee that he is going to finish what he started.
We have something greater to look forward to and the Spirit of God is our guarantee of that.
Dont give up, keep your head high, If you are saved by the grace of God through His Son then you have the Spirit dwelling on the inside of you. You are His property and God is going to finish what He started
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Finally, God gave us His Spirit to let us know that....
C. We are His Praise
C. We are His Praise
“ unto the praise of his glory.”
The word (unto) is translated from a Greek word meaning for.
we are redeemed, we are being redeemed and one day we will be redeemed, why, for the praise of His glory.
Now that we have the Spirit living on the inside of us that are born again, we should be living our lives in such a manner that our lives bring praise to God.
We should glorify God in all that we say and do.
Do You?
Do You sir?
Do you ma’am?
That is what you are to do if you are born again through the blood of Christ, you are to
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Before concluding our message from Ephesians 1:3–14, perhaps it would be well to read it again and give thought to the responses it should call forth from our hearts.
READ PASSAGE AGAIN
Perhaps our first response to this passage as a whole should be worship.
The whole passage, as has been pointed out, is a majestic hymn of praise to God in which the apostle sets forth those features of redemption in Christ that should elicit the gratitude of every Christian.
We should be like the Psalmist in Ps. 145
David’s Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; And I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, And of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: And I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, And shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; Slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: And his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; And thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, And raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; And thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, And satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, And holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that love him: But all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Second, we find encouragement.
The passage is more than a hymn of praise.
It is an inspired exposition of the gracious purpose of God.
Recall its leading words and phrases: “chosen,” “predestinated,” “his will,” “his good pleasure,” “the counsel of his will,” and so on.
All of these terms relate to the purpose of God.
That purpose was formulated before time began when God chose us to be His own.
It reaches beyond time to the point when the redemption of God’s people will be complete.
In this fact every believer can find courage and assurance as he faces a hostile world.
Third, our response should be a renewed dedication to the carrying out of the will of God in our lives.
Christians, like Israel in ancient times, are God’s “chosen people” in the world.
This is, to be sure, a position of high privilege; but it must also be interpreted in terms of mission and responsibility.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
We are chosen to be instruments of God for the carrying out of His purpose in the world.
H. H. Rowley appropriately writes that “the Biblical doctrine of election is … penetrated through and through with warning. To be the elect of God is not to be His pampered favourite. It is to be challenged to a loyalty and a service and a sacrifice that knows no limits, and to feel the constraints of the Divine love to such a degree that no response can seem adequate and no service worthy” (p. 168).
So, Are you one of His, do you have the blessings spoken of or are you lost in your sins in need of a Savior?
What a shame it would be to leave here today knowing that you could have so much more then you do now and you reject it and say its not for me.
Hey, this old world aint got nothing to offer you except headaches and heartaches.
Jesus Christ offers life eternal
He offers you joint heirship as a son of God
he offers you all that is His.
Dont leave here today rejecting what Christ has to offer.
If you had a unknown uncle and He died and a lawyer contacted you, and told you that this uncle was a billionaire and he has left his entire estate to you. Would you reject that? No So why reject what God is offering to you today, you may never get another chance.
All you have to do is accept the fact that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. You have to believe in your heart that Jesus died and was buried and on the third day God raised Him from the dead, then you will confess with your mouth that He is Lord.
No where in scripture does it say just accept him into your heart. But it does say that if you accept Him he will change your heart.
Wont you accept Him today? when you do you too will realize all these blessing are yours.