Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Ephesians 1:3-6a

In the original Greek, verses 3-14 of chapter one consists of ONE long sentence. This one sentence covers the past, present, and future of God’s eternal purpose and plan for the Church and its believers. So, I want to read the whole section, it will be our focus for the next several weeks, but we will, of course, take it one bite at a time.

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. 4 For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.

7 We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him 10 for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.

11 We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.

13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.

There are many deep theological concepts within this one section of scripture, we will look at them individually as we journey through it.

This text can be divided into three separate sections, each focusing on a different Person of the Trinity. Verses 3-6a focuses on God the Father. Verses 6b-12, focuses on God the Son. And verses 13-14 focus on God the Holy Spirit.

As a broad concern, people today are greatly concerned with meaning and purpose in life. Your identity, your self-acceptance is a virtue, for a lack of a better word, that we are encouraged to seek after and find. All too often, this search includes a variety of avenues which in many cases excludes the Word of God. Man will seek identity in the world and in self, but will not seek their identity in who GOD says they are. It is my believe, that moving people to seek such identity in Christ, in their Heavenly Father, is the answer to the identities of darkness and evil that have run rampant in our world today. Some try and establish their identity based on their work, a work-based righteousness. This identity says the harder I try, the more work I do, the more effort I put into something, the greater my identity is with that object, and therefore that is what defines me.

All our human efforts, whether based in self-improvement or some sort of religious covering, are subject to the law of diminishing returns. In other words, the harder we try to identify in something of our own making, the less the satisfaction becomes. This is because of what we have talked about a lot here lately, our inability in our human nature for contentment and satisfaction. The more we gain, the more we want. The more our desire for identity in the world increases, the more our desire increases. The more our desire increases the more the guilt and fear of not meeting our expectations increases, therefore the less fulfilled and valued we fill. The longer we play the games of superficial worth and identification, the deeper the depression, anxiety and feelings of guilt become. Our work based and worldly based identification will never produce what we desire.

The only way a person can achieve meaning, is by having a right relationship to the creator.

Psalm 1:4

4 The wicked are …like chaff that the wind blows away.

A person without Christ has no spiritual value, no standing before their creator, no purpose or meaning in the world.

As followers of Christ, we are joint heirs with Jesus. To grasp this position in Christ and the possession of our inheritance in Christ, studying this letter is of great value.

Tonight, lets look at verse three.

Ephesians 1:3

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

In Christ flows every spiritual blessing in the heavens. These are not material blessings, these are not physical blessings, these are spiritual blessings. God had blessed the nation of Israel with material blessing. He promised Abraham land, wealth, and fame. The problem was that the nation of Israel misused and hoarded their material blessings. They turned their back on the God that had promised them these great blessings, and in doing so, they lost this blessing. But since the incarnation, God deals with man spiritually, with spiritual blessings.

Let me give you five things that should be noted about spiritual blessings.

1. Spiritual blessings are of the spirit.

It is the Spirit of a man that controls the man. Even in times when we may feel depressed, upset, unworthy, and invaluable, if our spirit is strong, then we are able to overcome these feelings. We can conquer the circumstances we find ourselves in and live in victory. This is a victory that only comes from knowing our place IN and THROUGH Christ.

If the spirit is weak, we find ourselves in a place of pity and loathing; grumbling, griping, and complaining fill our day. We are defeated by the lack of peace. If the spirit remains to be weak, if the spirit remains to be unable to conquer the feelings the world produces, those feeling stretch on for weeks, months or even years.

The blessings of God, are blessings of the Spirit of man.

2. Spiritual blessings are the opposite of earthly, temporal blessings.

These are blessings that are internal, they are blessings of the immortal man. We are immortal beings. After our time here on earth is over, we will live on for eternity. The question becomes, WHERE? Where will we spend eternity? The man who is in Christ will spend his eternity in the presences and Glory of the heavenly father. The man who does not accept Christ will spend his eternity in the lake of eternal fire.

The blessings of God, effect the immortal aspect, or the spiritual aspect of a man. They are blessings the produce great joy and peace within life today. Jesus says:

John 10:10

10 A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

That is not physical life, that is spiritual life. Christ comes to give us blessings of an abundant life. A life that overflows with God’s presence and His hand on our work, feelings, and emotions. These are not material blessings.

3. Spiritual blessings are SUPERIOR to material blessings

Any material blessing will soon disappear. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy them; just that they are only temporal. Many people face a life of material blessings, yet live defeated and broken. They may have all the riches of the world, yet inside they find no value or worth. They attempt to create that value with more of the material aspects; but once again they are only falling into that law of diminishing returns. They will never reach the point of full satisfaction.

Material blessings are temporary and fading. Spiritual blessings are permanent, perfect, and eternal. These spiritual blessings exist in the earthly realm in which we live today, but then extend into eternity. The great theologian, George Straight, said, “Well, you don't bring nothing with you here, and you can't take nothing back; I aint never seen a hearse with a luggage rack.”

There was a t-shirt company that was popular when I was in school called “No fear.” People had “No fear” stickers on their cars and wore shirts that said no fear. On the shirts there was usually some catchy little saying, motivational type stuff. One read “All men are great in their dreams; reality just narrows the competition.” Another one read, “Second place is the first loser.” One that applies to what we are talking about today said, “He who dies with the most toys; still dies.” It doesn’t matter the material blessing you gain in this life; they are all temporary. Spiritual blessings are those that will have impact in this life and in the next; they are eternal and everlasting.

4. Spiritual blessings are ONLY found in Christ

Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is seated before the Angels in the Glory of the heavens. All the blessings of heaven belong to Him. Therefore, if a person is to experience such spiritual blessings, they must be IN Christ. To be IN Christ is to be IN the spiritual blessings.

Believe it or not, my children have no jobs, no money, no assets, no transportation, and no place to live on their own. Yet they are provided all these blessings because they are in me; in my house. As they dwell in my home, they have my protection, my love, my provisions. They bring nothing to the table, yet are provided with all they need. I can’t say the same for all children, not all children belong to me, but if they did, they would possess those blessings.

While the blessings I can provide are those temporal blessings, the blessings that come with being IN Christ are far greater; but as my blessings only apply to MY children, those IN me, so to do the blessings of Christ; the come only to those IN Christ.

If we are in Christ, we sit positionally in heaven WITH Christ. God takes our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and counts it as our righteousness. God the Father looks upon us as the same as Christ. Positionally in Christ, we are righteous and acceptable for heaven. When we accept the call of Christ, we are viewed in Christ; we are identified with Christ; seated in heaven. And being seated in heaven, we can experience the blessings of heaven. You are viewed to be just like Christ; a child of God. Anyone who dwells in my home; be they a natural child, an adopted child; or an extra child; possess the blessings of my home. Being in Christ, we possess the blessings of heaven.

5. God dealt with man’s material blessings first because we had to learn several things:

A) We had to learn that an earthly inheritance does not last. That inheritance is subject to being lost, stolen, or spent. Over time, the possessions we think are important today will deteriorate or be left behind. You can’t take it with you.

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

B) We had to learn that earthly possessions and earthly nations cannot bring peace and security. Many people strive for security in their possessions, and many people fail. Material blessings do not fill the void between God and man. They do not plug the missing link in the spirit of man. Nations come and go. Possessions come and go. True peace and security only come from spiritual blessings; blessings that will not tarnish or rust; blessings that will not be destroyed.

C) WE had to learn that within our inner-being is selfishness and greed. It is within our natural tendencies to save up, hoard, and collect the corruptible things of life at the expense of the spiritual.

Luke 12:16-21

16 Then [Jesus] told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

D) We had to learn there must be a change of character and self in order to conquer this urge. The desire for value based on our material possessions holds us hostage and causes division within our own spirits. The only thing that can get us to a place of true worth and value is to have a change of nature; a spiritual nature.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

John 3:3

3 Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Unless someone is born again with a new nature, they will not see the Kingdom of heaven, they will not experience the joys of an abundant life, and they will not ever find their true identity.

Ephesians 4:22-24

22 You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24 you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

You are in Christ, you are a new creation in righteousness and you have every spiritual blessing in the heavens.