Ephesians Study: Made Worthy. Walk Worthy. Part 2

Ephesians 1:7-14

During the great Depression of the 1930’s, many banks would only allow their customers to withdraw no more than 10 percent of their accounts during a certain period of time.

They didn’t have the reserves, so their were these limitations and restrictions.

If I was to go to the bank or to the ATM many times throughout the week to withdraw… I would find out that I do have limitations… and that I should put limits on myself in order to stay out of trouble...

But this is not the case when it comes to our heavenly storehouse.

God’s Bank and Heavenly Storehouse does not have such restrictions or limitations.

The Christian has access to the Father through Christ and has direct access to the blessings of God through Christ 24/7.

Remember: The Christian is a saint of God, a member of God’s family… You have an inheritance. He is chosen, accepted, and adopted… And the Father is loaded!

So, the Father’s resources are His children’s. Through Christ, we have them to draw from... forever. They will never be exhausted!

No need to bury them. No need to hoard them and never use them out of fear that they will all be used up… They will never be used up!

But you may never draw what God has freely given. You may never use what Christ has given you… and you may live in spiritual poverty all the days of your life...

We have been made worthy by God to have these blessings, to uses these blessings and to enjoy these blessings.

Moving on to Verses 7-14.

Several words we need to know, as they relate to our new identity: I Am... Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed.

Redeemed/Redemption

The act of buying back or rescuing something or someone that was lost, enslaved, or in a state of bondage.

Jesus said in John 8:34 that everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. Scripture makes it clear that this would include everyone on planet earth. Everyone is in bondage to sin and the whole world is enslaved to the corruption of sin.

How can man be released apart from a Savior? Death. The wages of sin is death. Someone must pay for sin. The Judge of the Universe cannot and will not let anyone off the hook.

The sinner’s master is sin and Satan… and in the end… it will be death and judgement.

Man is in need of redemption… or deliverance.

What does Christ do for us? He purchases us. He rescues us. He sets us free. He redeems us from the curse. The curse held us in bondage to sins corruption… And the curse keeps us from the face of God… From the blessings of God...

Christ sets us free from the obligations of the Law, the penalty of sin, and the mastery of the evil one...

Christ pays for us.

How?

It is a life for a life.

Christ, the Redeemer, the Beloved… pays the price for our release from sin and death… With His own blood.

Remember, the O.T. points to this… A life being laid down for a life. Bulls, lambs, goats, and others took the sinners place… and this points to what Christ will do...

The Old Covenant pointed to this… and then Christ does it. Christ becomes our substitute… And HE Who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

Christian: You are redeemed. You are purchased. You are set free. You are free by the Blood of the Lamb. His Life gives you life. Freely He gave. Freely you receive and live for Christ.

Now there is no condemnation… No shame… No fear.

What is that worth to you dear Christian? Can we put a price tag on this?

You are Redeemed!

2. Forgiven

I am redeemed and forgiven. The result of redemption is forgiveness. Redemption brings forgiveness. You cannot be forgiven as long as you are a criminal. Your charges and penalty cannot just go away.

Someone pays for them for you… And you are then able to be forgiven.

How forgiven? Totally forgiven.

“Yea, but they keep records of them. They have documentation somewhere… Its in the cloud...”

That may be true here… But not with God.

This is not true with God. We may store offenses on our files, and put them in our pockets. We may write them down. The justice system of this world may keep records of your crimes...

But God… wants you know that He remembers them no more, and He will treat you as if you have never broken the first law. He will now only treat you as a son or a daughter, and discipline you within the family, as a family member.

Now: We all suffer from the memory of our sins. We will suffer the pain and consequences of our sin. But we never need to think and believe that God holds our sins against us, or that our sins will ever separate us from Him… ever...

Psalm 103:12 - “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us...”

Micah 7:19 - “God will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea...”

To the ancient world… the distance from the east to the west… and the depths of the seas… were expressions that meant “infinity or forever.”

And this is how God describes it to His people. This is what He wants His people to know: “I forgive you forever.”

Forgiveness from God is undeserved, and we are not worthy of it… But it is free and complete...

And it is according to the riches of His grace…

Get this: God gives “according to His riches...”

(Picture) A billionaire could give a few dollars, or a ham sandwich, and he would be giving out of His riches...

But if he would give a million dollars… He would be giving according to his riches...

But God’s storehouse is without limits and He lavishes His grace upon us...

The picture here may look like a waterfall being poured out and onto us. There is this waterfall that is poured out...

You cannot sin beyond His grace. His grace is greater that your sin. It will cleanse you and wash you, refresh and bless you.

And with this pouring out...

Verses 8-9 - And He has given and will give you the wisdom and the prudence/understanding… to Know these things and to grow up in these things...

He will give you wisdom and prudence to know and live them out.

He will continue to pour out and pour in and use you to continue working with Christ until His plan has been fulfilled and He comes back again.

Verse 10 - You see… Even though it was the plan of God before the foundation of the world… Now is the time to gather His people through Christ.

These are the end of days, the end times, and the great culmination of God’s story… all of this is coming to us. The fullness of times are here and now.

God planned it before time, now He is working all things out through time… and it will all end with a new heavens and a new earth.

Verse 11 - Dear Christian… this is your inheritance. This was planned before the birth of the world and He is working through all things according to the counsel of His will...

Sounds like Romans 8:28 doesn’t it?

You have come to God through Christ, you have trusted Him after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation… and having believed...

You were… Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise...

Thirdly and lastly for this evening:

3. Sealed

Now… don’t get the wrong idea here. I love freezer bags that have the zipper seals. But sometimes they bust and malfunction.

This sealing most likely refers to the official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, on a contract, or some other important piece of documentation.

The seal was made of hot wax which was placed on the document and then it was impressed with a signet ring.

So the contract was sealed and the owner of it could be identified by the seal.

When God gives the Holy Spirit to the believer… it is if He stamps us with a seal that communicates “This person belongs to the King. He or she is a citizen of My Kingdom, and a member of the King’s Family.”

When the King marks you, seals you, by the Holy Spirit… He marks them as being Divine property. They belong to God. they were purchased for God.

It may mean more… but it does not mean less...

The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance with promise or pledge.

In other words: He is the down payment or earnest money given to secure the ultimate purchase...

A form of the word came to used for engagement rings.

This is only the first installment of the guarantee of all the blessings that are coming in full...

There is the pledge, the ring, the promise… that they are guaranteed these promises and this Person.

You are never going to be neglected, rejected, or forsaken… You belong to God forever and you will have these promises forever.

He is coming back for you...

And its all to the praise of His glory.

I Am... Blessed, Chosen, Adopted and Accepted.

I Am… Redeemed, Forgiven, and Sealed.

I Am Rich in Christ! You are not poor in Christ. You are not an accident. You being here is not an accident. You were and are made for a purpose and for God’s plan.

God is working this plan out in your life and in this world today...

And Good News… His plans will never fail.

He is the Author and Finisher.

He began a good work and He will finish it.

And this will cause us to praise God more and more.

Praise Him!

Pray and Close.