WEALTH NOW
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Jesus is called "elect" showing His value & worth, not His election to salvation.
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Israel is called God's elect: Isaiah 45:4; 65:9,22; Matt 24:22,24,31;2 Tim 2:10; Rom 9:11: 11:5.7,28.
Elect" is a title for NT Christians showing our value, worth, and appraisal.
No NT "elect" verse is an eternal, unconditional, decree of God resulting in salvation. I Thes 1:4
Calvinists misinterpret I Pet 1:2: Rom 8:29,30; Eph 1:4.5; 2 Thes2:13: Act 13:48; Rom 9:13.15 1 6-18
The true meaning of election = corporate election of the church, not individual election to salvation. IP2:9
Calvinists miss the truth that as Israel was elected as a body, so the church is elected as a body
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
When Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for His church, He allowed us to share His spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus Christ paid it all. His death on the cross and His resurrection make possible our salvation. Death resurrection ascension
He wrote us into His will; then He died so the will would be in force.
Then He arose again so that He might become the heavenly Advocate (lawyer) and ensure that the terms of the will were correctly followed!
In this long sentence, Paul named just a few blessings that make up our spiritual wealth.
A people
1. A VALUE APPRAISED (1:4-6)
He has chosen us
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16). The lost sinner, left to his own ways, does not seek God (Rom. 3:10-11); God in His love seeks the sinner (Luke 19:10).
Note that God chose us even before He created the universe so that our salvation is wholly of His grace and not based on anything we ourselves have done. He chose Salvation would be in Christ, not in ourselves. And He chose us for a purpose: to be holy and without blame. In the Bible, election is always unto something. It is a privilege that carries a great responsibility.
Does the sinner respond to God's grace against his own will? No, he responds because God's grace makes him willing to respond. The mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility will never be solved in this life. Both are taught in the Bible (John 6:37). Both are true and essential.
You will note that all three persons in the Godhead are involved in our salvation (see also 1 Peter 1:3). As far as God the Father is concerned, you were saved when He chose that your salvation would be in Christ in eternity past. But that alone did not save you.
The Son, Paid your debt when He died for you on the cross.
As far as God the Spirit is concerned, you were saved when you yielded to His conviction and received Christ as your Savior. What began in eternity past was fulfilled in time present and will continue for all eternity!
He has adopted us (v. 5).
Here we meet that misunderstood word pre-destination. As it is used in the Bible, this word refers primarily to what God does for saved people. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that people are predestined to hell, because this word refers only to God's people.
The word means “to ordain beforehand to predetermine. “Election seems to refer to people, while predestination refers to purpose. The events connected with the crucifixion of Christ were predestined (Acts 4:25-28).
God has predestined our adoption (Eph. 1:5) and our conformity to Christ (Rom. 8:29-30), as well as our future inheritance (Eph. 1:11).
Adoption has a dual meaning, both present and future. You do not get into God's family by adoption. You get into His family by regeneration, the new birth (John 3:1-18; 1 Peter 1:22-25). Adoption is the act of God by which He gives His "born ones" an adult standing in the family. Why does He do this? So that we might immediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual wealth! A baby cannot legally use this inheritance (Gal. 4:1-7), but an adult son can—and should! This means you do not have to wait until you are an old saint before you can claim your riches in Christ.
The future aspect of adoption is in Romans 8:22-23, the glorified body we will have when Jesus returns. We already have our adult standing before God, but the world cannot see this. When Christ returns, this "private adoption" will be made visible to everyone!
He has accepted us (v. 6).
We cannot make ourselves acceptable to God, but He, by His grace, makes us accepted in Christ. This is our eternal position that will never change. Some translations read "which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved" (NASB). Or, "He has be-graced (literal translation] us in the Beloved." The idea is the same. Because of God's grace in Christ, we are accepted before Him. Paul wrote Philemon to encourage him to accept his runaway slave, Onesimus, using the same argument. "If he owes you anything, I will pay it. Receive him as you would receive me" (Philem. 17-19, paraphrased). The parallel is easy to see.
A special provision
2. AN INHERITANCE BESTOWED (1:7-12)
We should not think that each person of the Godhead works independently because they all worked together to make possible our salvation. But each person has a unique ministry to perform, a particular Spiritual deposit" to make in our lives.
He has redeemed us (v, 7a).
To Redeem means “to purchase and be set free by paying a price.” There were several million slaves in the Roman Empire, and often, they were bought and sold like pieces of furniture. A man could purchase a slave and see him free, which is what Jesus did for us. The price was His blood (1 Peter 1:18.), This means that we are free from the law (Gal, S.), free from the taskmaster of sin (Rom, 6), as well as free from the power of Satan and the world (Gal 1:4; Col, 1:13-14). If we were slaves, we would be poor, but because we are so, we are rich!
He has forgiven us (v. 7b).
The word forgive means to carry away." This reminds us of the ritual on the Jewish day of Atonement when the high price sent the scapegoat into the wilderness (lex. 16). the Priest killed one of the goats and sprinkled its blood before God on the merely. Then he contracted confessed sins over the live goat and had the goat taken into the wilderness to be lost. Christ died to carry away our sins so they might never again be soc (PA 103112. John 1:29). No written accusation stands against us because our sins have been taken away! Sin made us poor, but grace makes us rich.
He has revealed God’s will to us (vv. 8-10).
This letterer has much to say about God’s plan for His people, a plan that was not fully abundant!
We can share in the ever that God will one day unite everything in Christ; ever since sin came in the word, things have been falling apart. First, man was separated from God (Gen, 3).
Then, man was separated from man, and Cain killed Abel (Gen. 4).
People tried to unify by building a tower, but this was in disobedience to God (Gen. 11), so God judged them and scattered them across the world.
God called Abraham and put a difference between the Jew and the Gentile, a difference that was maintained until Christ's death on the cross. Sin is tearing everything apart, but in Christ, God will gather everything together in the culmination of the ages. We are a part of this great eternal program.
He has made us an inheritance (vv. 11-12).
The King James Version reads, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance," but "in whom also we were made an inheritance" is also a possible translation. Both are true and the one includes the other. In Christ we have an extraordinary inheritance (1 Peter 1:1-4), and in Christ we are an inheritance. We are valuable to Him. Think of the price God paid to purchase us and make us part of His inheritance! God the Son is the Father's love gift to us; and we are the Father's love gift to His Son. Read John 17 and note how often Christ called us "those whom thou hast given me." The church is Christ's body (Eph. 1:22-23), building (Eph. 2:19-22), and bride (Eph. 5:22-23);
Christ's future inheritance is wrapped up in His church. We are "joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17), meaning He cannot claim His inheritance apart from us!
A power
3. A POWER EXPERIENCED (1:13-14)
We move from eternity past (Eph. 1:4-6) and history past Eph. 1:7-12), to the immediate experience of the Ephesian Christians. The Holy Spirit had worked in their lives, and they knew it.
He has sealed us (v. 13). This verse explains the entire process of salvation, so we should examine it carefully. It tells how the sinner becomes a saint. First, he hears the gospel of salvation. The good news is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1ff.). The Ephesians were Gentiles, and the gospel came "to the Jew first" (Rom. 1:16).
But Paul, a Jew, brought the gospel to the Gentiles as he shared the Word of God with them.
The Ephesians "heard the gospel" and discovered it was for them— “your salvation" (Eph. 1:13). Even though the Bible teaches election, it also announces, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). A soul winner does not discuss the election with unsaved people, because it is a family secret that belongs to the saints. He announces the gospel’s truth, invites men to trust Christ, and the Holy Spirit does the rest. D. L. Moody used to pray, "Lord, save the elect and then elect some more!" The same God who ordains the end, the salvation of souls, also ordains the means to the end, the preaching of the gospel in the power of the Spirit.
Having heard the Word, the Ephesians believed, and this faith brought salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). This pattern follows what Paul wrote in Romans 10:13-15, so read that passage carefully. It is God's plan for evangelism. When the Ephesians believed, they were "sealed with the Spirit."
"After that ye believed" should read "when ye believed." You receive the Spirit immediately on trusting Christ. This is not an experience after conversion. (Read Acts 10:34-48.)
What is the significance of this sealing of the Holy Spirit? For one thing, it 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: God has put his seal on us because He has purchased us to be His own (1 Cor. 6: 19-20). It also means security and protection. The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus carried this meaning (Matt. 27:62-66). So, the believer belongs to God, and is safe and protected because he is a part of a finished transaction.
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 seal is a mark of authenticity. Just as a signature on a letter attests to the document’s genuineness, so the Spirit’s presence proves the believer is genuine. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). 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.
He has given us an earnest (v. 14). Earnest is a fascinating word! In Paul's day, it meant "the down payment to guarantee the final purchase of some commodity or piece of property." Even today, you will hear a real estate agent talk about earnest money. The Holy Spirit is God's first installment to guarantee to His children that He will finish His work and eventually bring them to glory. The "redemption of the purchased possession" refers to the redemption of the body at the return of Christ (Rom. 8:18-23; 1 John 3:1-3).
"Redemption" is experienced in three stages:
• We have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7).
• We are being redeemed as the Spirit works to make us more like Christ (Rom. 8:1-4).
• We shall be redeemed when Christ returns, and we become like Him.
But the word translated "earnest" also means "engagement ring." In Greece today, this word is used that way. But, after all, isn't an engagement ring an assurance—a guarantee—that the promises made will be kept? Our relationship to God through Christ is not simply a commercial one but also a personal experience of love. He is the Bridegroom and His church is the bride. We know that He will come and claim His bride because He has given us His promise and His Spirit as the
"engagement ring." What greater assurance could we want?
This chapter examined several basic Bible doctrines, all related to our riches in Christ. It would be profitable to review what these verses teach.
1. True riches come from God.
Knowing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all working on my behalf to make me rich is a source of great encouragement. God not only gives us "richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17), but He gives us eternal riches without which all other wealth is valueless.
A distraught wife sought out a Christian marriage counselor and told her sad story of a marriage about to dissolve. "But we have so much!" she kept saying. "Look at this diamond ring on my finger. Why, it's worth thousands! We have an expensive mansion in an exclusive area. We have three cars, and even a cabin in the mountains. Why, we have everything money can buy!"
The counselor replied, "I's good to have the things money can buy provided you don't lose the things money can't buy. What good is an expensive house if there's no home? Or an expensive ring if there's no love?" In Christ, you and I have "what money can't buy," and these spiritual riches open up to us all the wealth of God's vast creation. We enjoy the gifts because we know and love the Giver.
Because we know and love the Giver.
2. All of these riches come by God's grace and for God's glory.
Did you notice that after each of the main sections in Ephesians 1:4-14, Paul added the purpose behind these gifts? Why has God the Father chosen, adopted, and accepted us? "To the praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph. 1:6).
Why has the Son redeemed, forgiven, revealed God's will to us, and made us part of God's inheritance? "That we should be to the praise of his glory' (Eph. 1:12). Why has God the Spirit sealed us and become the guarantee of our future blessing? "Unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14).
We often have the idea that God saves sinners mainly because He pities them or wants to rescue them from eternal judgment, but Gods main purpose is that He might be glorified. His creation reveals His wisdom and power, but His church reveals His love and grace. You cannot deserve or earn these spiritual riches; you can only receive them by grace, through faith.
3. These riches are only the beginning!
As we walk with Him, there is always more spiritual wealth to claim from the Lord. The Bible is our guidebook; the Holy Spirit is our Teacher. As we search the Word of God, we discover more and more of the riches we have in Christ. The Father planned these riches, purchased them by the Son, and presented them by the Spirit.
There is really no need for us to live in poverty when all of God's wealth is at our disposal!
My friend was discussing money matters with his wife, and neither of them realized that their little son was listening. Finally the boy broke in with the suggestion, "Why don't you just write one of those pieces of paper?" Junior did not understand that having money in the bank was necessary to back up "those pieces of paper." But we never face that problem when it comes to our spiritual wealth.
A little devotional book by Charles Spurgeon is titled A Checkbook on the Bank of Faith. For each day of the year, a promise from the Bible was given, along with a short devotional message. The author described each promise as being as good as money in the bank to anyone who would claim it by faith, as a person would write a check against his bank account. By faith, we can claim God's promises and draw on His limitless wealth to meet every need we may face.
