Rags to Riches / Ephesians 1:1-14

Rags to Riches / Ephesians 1:1-14

Chris Garnder grew up in challenging circumstances. He never had a consistent father figure, was a single dad, and was homeless for a long period of his life. After a long season of poverty

and hardships, he decided to try to enter the Wall Street scene. Though all

odds were against him, he had a successful career and now his worth is $60 million.

There was even a popular movie made about him called, “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

where the actor Will Smith portrayed Chris through his journey from rags to riches.

Everyone loves the story of the unexpected. When a poor person becomes rich. When a

weak person becomes strong. Many of these stories depict a person who worked hard

and did whatever the cost to reach the top.

The greatest story has the opposite plot. The greatest story tells of the wealthiest man, who became poor so that the poor might become spiritually rich. In the gospel, we learn the story of God the Father who planned and perfected the rescue of a people in spiritual rags. Let’s read that story together in Ephesians 1:1-14.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Tonight we are going see three ways that the Father has brought us from spiritual rags to

Riches.

The first way that we are made rich in Christ is…

The Fathers Plan / V. 1-6

The setting of our blessing- Paul begins the longest sentence in the Bible with a shout of

joy! Though he is imprisoned in Rome, his soul is free, and his mind ascends to the

Father. This passage begins where the story of everything begins - with God.

The plan of our blessing- God had a plan. Before the crust of the earth was laid God made the salvation of sinners a priority. God loved his broken children and desired to make them blameless. Before his people did anything wrong to deserve his justice, or anything right to cause him joy, he was set on saving.

People often think of God’s election like a team captain making picks on a

playground. I will never forget the day that I was picked last during my first year of

college for a volleyball team because I had a bad ankle (or at least I hope that was the

reason). I felt ashamed. They examined all the strengths and weaknesses of all of the

player's outward appearances to make their choice. Once the captain is chosen it is

amazing to watch how people begin to straighten their backs to look taller, men begin to

flex their muscles. In my case, I tried to cover my weak ankle. All of these

outward activities impact the choice of the captain.

This is not how his election works. Rather, it was God’s desire “good pleasure” to save, his kind purpose, his unconditional love, “in love he predestined us”. Here the Father is seen as the

unconditional initiator of salvation. It was all his will, his plan, his predestination in love.

And it is a mysterious miracle that he was willing to initiate the salvation of sinners. We

are the ones who deserve the opposite of being chased with adopting love, we deserve to

be chastised with condemning hell. But God, being rich in mercy, loved you and me first

and humbly came after us.

The fullness of the blessing- Additionally, we are adopted. The scriptures say that we are

adopted “as sons”. In ancient Israel, the firstborn sons were the ones who received the

inheritance. In the Greco-Roman world, slaves in childless homes could be adopted to

receive the family inheritance. Our rich blessing means that we are given the same rights

and privileges as the blood Son of God. Jesus’ inheritance is ours. And we are his

inheritance. His victory is ours! We can now enter into the heavenly realms with the

confidence of a son dressed in the family garments and sealed with the family ring. We

have full rights in Christ.

The purpose of our blessing- after noticing the plan of God’s blessing we now observe

that there was a purpose in his plan. This purpose is made explicit in two phrases- “that

we should be holy and blameless before him” and “to the praise of his glorious grace.”

The first purpose of our blessing is that we would be like Christ. Namely, perfectly

blameless before the throne of God. Turn your eyes to the heavenly places and observe

the perfect Trinity. Not once has a moment of sin, selfishness or pride crept into the

presence of the Trinity. How then are we seen to be present? Only through being made

holy and blameless. Romans 8:29 makes God’s intentions clear by explaining, “For

those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in

order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” God desires that before

his all-seeing eye, you would be holy on earth and blameless in the day of Christ as you

stand before the presence of unapproachable light.

The second clear purpose of our blessing is that God would be praised for his incredible work of election and salvation. Every good gift that we have been given originates from the Father. To him belongs all the glory and even when we do not understand all of his ways, we can trust that his intentions are for our good.

The reality of God’s pursuit of us should impact us in several ways:

1. Be encouraged - Though God’s predestination is

mysterious, there are many things that we can be certain of: we know that he desires all to

be saved, we know that he commands all to believe, we know that Christ has done

everything necessary for any sinner to be reconciled, we know that we must respond in

faith, and we know that those who respond in faith are saved. Therefore the unbeliever

should be encouraged that election is never declared to hinder anyone from coming to

Christ, for no one will be saved through believing that they are chosen, but rather by

trusting in Christ alone. The unbeliever is called by Christ to believe through the

invitation of the gospel. The scriptures declare that today can be the day of salvation for

any through free grace. On the other hand, election should encourage believers by

knowing that God will not change his mind about his love for them. He is not like the

pagan Gods in Ephesus who were bi-polar and unstable. Rather, the believer can be

assured that God was for them even before the creation of the world.

2. Let his plan lead to worship - the book

of 1 John teaches us that we love God because he first loved us, even while we were still

dirty. The believer's motivation for obedience should always stem from love. Jesus said,

that if you love him, you will obey his commandments. The natural result of knowing

that you are wanted by God is to want him in return. Once you are truly convinced that

you are adopted and bestowed all the riches of the family name, when you should have

been cast away, how could you not begin to look and talk like your beloved home?

So we have explored the Father's plan to save us, but how did he pull it off? Remember

the problem at hand. One day we will all die and be before the presence of a God who is

spotless and perfect. He dwells in an unapproachable light. How will we who are stained

with the darkness of our sin stand before him blameless on that day? We need a rescue,

we need a payment.

The second way the Father has brought us from rags to riches is through the payment of the Son…

The son’s payment / V. 7-12

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

For sinners to become God’s children, a payment had to be

made. The Bible declares that everyone has fallen short of God’s glory. None are holy

and blameless. God explains that those who practice sin are slaves to sin. The only way

for a slave to become a son was through adoption and the only way broken rebels could

become heirs was through the sacrifice of the only Son. In verse 7 we see that God has

paid the debt of our sin through the cost of another. In the Old Testament, God makes it

clear that sin has a cost. For sin to be forgiven the debt of sin had to be paid. The spotless blood of Jesus covers the debt of all who believe in him. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as

silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish

or spot.” As we think about the spiritual riches that we have been given, we must always

remember that we are blessed because Jesus was broken. For us to

inherit the treasure, and become God's treasure, he gave up his greatest treasure, the life of

his Son. All of this was done to purchase you.

The result of Christ’s payment- By God’s power, Jesus’ story did not end at the cross.

God raised him from the dead and now all who believe get to enjoy the results of Christ’s

payment here are some of those results that through faith you can experience today:

1. The believer is set free and fully forgiven- as a result of the death of Christ, the believer

is redeemed. Redemption carries the language of being set free from captivity. Before

the cross, the believer has no power to overcome self, or sin, or to do what is pleasing in the

sight of God. They are captive to their lusts and have no hope of breaking free. Christ

redeemed them through paying their full debt of sin, and satisfying the just wrath of God

as he became sin on our behalf. Through this redemption he fully forgives, The word

“trespasses” in this passage does not speak of being in a state of sin. Rather, it is

speaking of individual acts of rebellion against God. Frequently our minds will be

assaulted with accusations about particular sins. Perhaps you know that your sins are

forgiven, but you struggle to believe that your worst sin struggle is forgiven. Or that the

one past moment of brokenness that you cannot forget can be fully forgiven. God

declares through the cross, that his forgiveness is full. It cleanses every form

and act of sin against God.

2. The believer is lavished in grace - Our God is not

only loving enough to give us grace. He lavishes his children in grace. He goes over the

top. He is so rich in grace that if you were to fully experience it, it would make you blush.

3. The believer is given wisdom and insight - next the believer is granted wisdom and

insight. After being saved by the blood of Jesus the believer is not left to fend for himself.

Rather we are given all the knowledge of truth that we need to live holy and blameless

lives! “Wisdom” is the knowledge that sees into the heart of things. “Insight” is understanding and discernment that leads to right action. We are given heavenly wisdom that causes us to know God. To have an experiential knowledge of his will and of his mysterious plan of salvation that has been revealed to us through the scriptures. Beyond simply knowing the truth, our God-given insight leads us to act on the revelation so we can live truly holy lives to glorify the God of our salvation.

4. Believers have obtained an inheritance - Christ’s payment for sin was so effective and

God’s will is so certain, that the future blessing of God’s actions is spoken of in past

tense. Believers have an inheritance to look forward to. One day, all will be made right,

every promise will be fulfilled, and we will be fully happy, and finally holy. All of this is

possible through the payment of Christ who purchased us and gave us this coming

inheritance. The Bible wants us to know so deeply that this inheritance is ours, that it

speaks of it as if it has already happened. Your glorious future is your current reality

through the finished work of Christ.

It can be tempting to listen to the amazing results of what God has accomplished without

a sense of awe because many of us who have spent a long amount of time in the church

have heard these truths much and intellectually understand them. But has Jesus’ work

changed you? Has his forgiveness changed your desires? Has his lavish grace made you

blush? Do you believe that the inheritance that he will freely give you is yours through

the work of Christ? If not, what is making you resist? The love of sin? Love for control?

Or does it all seem too good to be true? Listen, friend, God is telling you this. This is what

he has done and through this passage, he gladly offers these beautiful results, forgiveness,

grace, and a future to you. Believer, enjoy these riches.

For the final section, we are going to see how a promised future can change our present

confidence. My entire life I have been uncertain about where I would end up living. I

moved frequently to different places so I was consistently uncertain where my location would be. Recently my family looked at a property in Virginia and even the

perspective of them living here changed my plans. I felt more secure about my decision

to work and live here with my wife. If they were to give a promise or pay a down

payment on the property, I would have even more confidence and would begin to settle

into the present with eager hope that this would be my home.

God desires for you to be confident about your future heavenly riches so he has given you

a promise in the surest way possible, through his Spirit.

The final way the father brings us from rags to riches is…

The promised spirit / V. 13-14

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

God has ordained a path for us to obtain the Holy Spirit that he

promised to all who would believe. The first step is to hear the truth. This truth is sovereignly communicated through the Holy Spirit using Christians to share the word of God. Continuing on the path we find that only the true gospel saves souls. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the

Jew first and also to the Greek.” Through the reality of the gospel of Christ dying for the

sins of the world and rising from the dead, people can be saved by grace through faith.

The final step on the path to the promised Holy Spirit is belief. Through trust in Christ

alone, God freely bestows salvation upon the sinner through grace and fills them

immediately with his Holy Spirit. All believers have the Holy Spirit within them the

moment they first believe. The whole path to the promised Holy Spirit is all of grace.

The seal of the spirit- upon the first moment of faith the believer is given the Spirit of

God and is sealed through him. Use a sealed envelope as a visual aid. In ancient times a

seal meant several things- first, the seal meant security. Owners would put seals upon

their belongings to ensure that their items were not broken into during travel. As you

travel through this world on your way to the next, God protects you on all sides through

the guidance and care of the Holy Spirit who intercedes for you. Another use for seals

was to show authenticity and ownership. Wealthy individuals would put their sign, or

family identification on seals so that everyone knew that an envelope or item was true

and authentically owned by that particular ruler. God has put his certificate of

authenticity and seal of ownership upon those who are in the Spirit. God unashamedly

gives them the family name and shows who are truly his by their life in the Spirit.

Finally, seals were used to express authority. Seals showed that you cannot use or open

the item without permission. It was final and authoritative. God has called you his own

and he has given you the authority into his kingdom through the seal of the Holy Spirit.

The guaranteed inheritance- many guarantees and promises that should leave people

satisfied leave them disappointed. Wedding vows that should last forever are broken.

A pregnancy that naturally leads to birth ends in another miscarriage. Over time we have

learned not to expect much from guarantees. In the final portion of the passage, Paul wants us to be confident in the inheritance that is coming for us. Verse 14 says that God has guaranteed our future inheritance through the Holy Spirit. The image here is of a down payment. Paul is encouraging the believers in

his emphasis to realize that God has already paid the down payment for our future glory.

He has filled us with his own Spirit that gives us surety that we are his own and will be

with him forever. We can be confident now that the day is coming soon that we will

acquire the possession that is rightfully ours through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The only fitting response is to praise God’s beautiful grace. In Christ, we are purchased

as God’s inheritance, and through the Holy Spirit God has promised our inheritance of

eternal life in sinless communion with him.

If you are a believer the day is coming soon when you will have possession of your

spiritual inheritance. It is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit within you. I urge you to enjoy

the inheritance that is yours through Christ. One day very soon you will see how God

fulfilled all of his promises to you. One day you will see the reality of God’s richness in

grace and love that it will take an eternity of thankful praise to respond to the sight of it.

Let that change you now. Turn your eyes upon Jesus who reconciled you to God, look

long at his face of love, and watch how the things of this world will grow strangely dim.

Our bright future should have a changing effect on our lives in the present. But

sometimes the present does not reflect the glory of our coming inheritance.

Sometimes our present experience looks like the back of a tapestry. All that we see is

mingled strings, and colors that have no coherence. We feel the hardships, the emptiness,

and the brokenness of this life. But when we come to know and believe the riches of

grace that God wants to lavish upon us we then can see that every strand of our

day-to-day lives is leading to a glorious picture of grace. When we finally look back

and see that it was his Spirit that was leading us to our guaranteed inheritance where we

will dwell with him in pure light and love because of the blood of the lamb.