The Blessings of Christmas pt 1

Introduction

If you have been following my argument this Christmas, I am making a case that the believer has received many gifts because Jesus came to earth and was born of a virgin. I think a lot of times, we ascribed these gifts to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; not his birth, but all of it is one big package. The word Christmas reminds us that it is more than just his birth we are thinking about at Christmas time. It is a combination of two words: Christ and Mass. The word mass is from a latin word meaning to let go or send. It is at Christmas time that Christ was sent to the earth, but the very word itself reminds us that Christ was given for a reason. Jesus was sent to die for our sins. So when we talk about Christmas it is appropriate to combine the birth and the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. They were all involved in God giving His Son.

When we buy gifts for our friends and family, we usually have some kind of a reason behind it.

They might buy a gift because that gift reminds them of the other person. Maybe it is a musical ornament for a musician.

They might buy a gift because it can strengthen their relationship with the other person. “Adventure challenge”

They might buy a gift because the other person has a need for that thing. Could be clothes or a car.

Most of the time they might buy a gift because they want to see the other person happy.

What ever the reason is, we shouldn’t give gifts without any thought for the reason behind the gift. This morning, I want to begin working through a passage in Ephesians which lists out gifts that everyone of us has received as a Christian. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you received these gifts. But more than that I want to point out why you have received these gifts.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on our behalf in coming to earth to die for our sins, we receive spiritual blessings. You could call these blessings gifts. In fact the word spiritual blessings is related to one of the words used for spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians. We have been blessed with amazing gifts in Christ.

What does it mean to be in Christ?

Our text uses a phrase over and over again that I want to highlight. Read the verses pointing out the phrase: In Him or In Christ:

Ephesians 1:3–14 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 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: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Have you ever forgotten who bought you a certain present? You weren’t sure if it was Aunt Joe or Uncle Bill who got you that gift. That becomes a problem when it comes time to write thankyou cards. We are about to look at all kinds of Amazing blessings, gifts we have as a Christian; but Paul clearly wants us to remember who those gifts come from. Give you a little bible study tip. When you see a word or phrase repeated over and over again in a passage, you should mark it. I circle them in my bible. Usually that word or phrase is going to be what all the verses are really about. It is the primary emphasis in the text. Considering we saw this phrase used atleast 11 times in these few verses, I think it is safe to say that this is really what Paul is emphasizing.

It isn’t about the gifts, it is about the person giving the gifts. This Christmas don’t become so sidetracked by what you receive that you forget who gave it to you. But what does it mean to be In Christ? Let me give you three illustrations that might help you understand the meaning of this phrase that is everywhere in the NT.

Ark Illustration- Probably one of the simplest biblical examples we have of being in Christ is relating him to the ark. Back in Noah’s day, God commanded Noah to build an ark, a boat because He was going to flood the earth and kill everything living except for those on board that boat. If Noah wanted to be saved, he had to get into the ark. So if we are going to be saved, we must be in Christ. I don’t have to swim to stay alive, I don’t have to come up with my own way of floating on the water. The only thing I have to do is get in the boat. So a Christian when he placed his faith in Jesus Christ is placed in Christ. The flood waters of God’s judgment cannot touch me as long as I am in Him.

Train Illustration- Being in Christ isn’t merely about escaping judgment though. It is like getting on board a train heading to Colorado. That train is headed to a destination. All I have to do is get on the train, but the train will take me where it is destined to go. I don’t have to run really fast; I also don’t have to put coal in the engine. My job is just to get on board the train. As we will see, this illustration is important because getting saved is not merely about not going to hell; God has chosen us to be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Marriage Illustration- There is a third illustration which I think helps us understand this idea of being in Christ. Being in Christ is like a marriage relationship. We have entered into a new relationship with Christ. When a couple gets married, there are certain things that they share. Along with colds, they also share each others debts. The ideal marriage joins their finances together because they are living this life together not separately. They also share a name. The wife generally takes on the name of her husband because she wants to be identified with Him. They also share a future together. What happens to one happens to the other. They are in it together.

So being in Christ protects us from God’s judgment, it carries us to a predetermined destination and it unites us with all the spiritual blessings that Christ has to give us.

Before Salvation, we were in Adam and inherited a sin nature and the punishment for sin. We were a nation of enemies against God, but when we got saved, we changed nationalities. We became a new nation. We are no longer in Adam, but in Christ. And it is a blessing to be in this new relationship.

What are the spiritual blessings that come from being in Christ?

So what are these gifts that we have received? I am going to highlight three this morning, but we will cover the rest over the next couple weeks. First,

Chosen to be holy Ephesians 1:4 “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:”

When people see the word chosen their mind automatically jumps to the Calvinism/ Arminianism debate. I am not going to go there this morning because that has nothing to do with the purpose of this verse. We must accept that this verse clearly declares we are chosen. It doesn’t tell us how, but it does tell us that we are chosen in Christ. It is only because we are in Christ that we are chosen. God made this choice before the foundation of the world. It has been his plan from the beginning, but I want you to see what the emphasis of election here is. The passage doesn’t say elect to be saved here what does it say we are chosen or elected to? that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. The focus of election here is on holiness. God chose that all those who are in Christ should be holy and without blame before Him in love. What is this saying?

a. holy- set apart to God. The Christian is supposed to live a life that is dedicated to God. The decision about how I live my life, how I spend my time, what I use my money on, who my friends are should all center around my relationship with God. I don’t live my life anymore for myself, but for God.

b. blameless- moral purity- Holiness includes multiple ideas but Paul makes it clear that he includes moral purity here. As a Christian, I should live a life that brings honor to God. I am not going to live in sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, and the list could go on. My life should be a moral example that when others see me they know that I am a Christian.

c. before Him- this phrase is relational. In the end, the only one who matters is Jesus Christ because will stand one day before Him. My life centers around Him because of my relationship with Him.

So God has chosen us, called us to live lives seeking Him, living moral pure and loving Him. This is the focus of election. This is God’s desire and plan for everyone of us who professes to be a Christian this morning.

Why is this a blessing? When you understand all the destruction that sin has caused in your life, you see the blessing of righteousness. God wants us to live blessed lives because we are holy. Not only has God chosen us to be this way, but it means He is committed to pursueing our holiness. God isn’t going to leave you alone in your sin. He will pursue your holiness because it is the greatest good that you could experience in Him.

Predestined to be adopted Ephesians 1:5 “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,” God has also predetermined that those who are in Christ are adopted. Adoption is a family word. It means that when I became a Christian I became a member of the family of God. When you come from a broken home, being around family during Christmas time can be an awkward time. Then when you marry into a family that it close-nit, a good family, you feel out of place at first. But when you are fully embraced as family, there is love, joy, belonging, peace there.

In Christianity, being adopted means belonging, but it also includes an inheritance. You never thought that you would ever get to enjoy the blessings you have as a Christian, but because you are part of the family they are yours as well. It’s like marrying into a rich family that goes to Barbados every winter. Your from the wrong side of the tracks and going to walmart is a vacation for you, but you married into wealth. As a Christian, we may not always enjoy the benefits of that inheritance today, but there is coming a day when life will only be love and joy and peace. All tears will be washed away. Our broken bodies will be healed and made new. We will find true and full fulfillment knowing Christ and being known and loved completely by Him.

Accepted in the beloved Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” The third blessing is being accepted in the beloved. Again that phrase in the beloved is key. It is only because of Christ that I am accepted by God. The word accepted here is literally graced. But it carries the idea of receiving God’s goodwill.

Imagine someone who you have been very close to betrays you. Years later they left a criptic message on your phone that seems to indicate that they are sorry and want to make things right. When you meet for the first time, you have a choice: are you going to be closed off, harsh, distant with them; or will you open your heart to them? Will you approach them with love and goodwill or hurt and guardedness? In Jesus Christ, God looks at us with goodwill no matter how many times we betray Him.

What is the Purpose of all these spiritual blessings?

I mentioned at the beginning of the message that God has given all these blessings for a reason. There is another phrase that is repeated multiple times starting in vs 6, 12,14.

Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

God has given us all these blessings so we can praise His glorious grace. That might seem like a self-serving reason to give, but we need to remember first of all God is worthy of the praise. Think about all he has done for you. When you truly appreciate what he has given, it comes easily to praise Him. Secondly, our praise draws others to desire what we have. (Illustration, something secret that you make over in your hand) Thirdly, God knows that our joy only reaches it climax when we express that joy. For some of us there is a wall that keeps us from experiencing full joy and happiness. We feel awkard saying anything joyful ; but when we can break free of this restraint and truly let joy reign, we find ourselves truly happy. Consistent praise breaks down that wall.

Conclusion

So what am I challenging you to do this morning: pull out those gifts that God has given you. Really think about what they mean to you. Ask yourself some questions:

What does it mean to me that God is at work in my life to make me holy? Do I truly want that? What good would it bring in my life if I was holy?

How much of a blessing is it to be in the family of God? What was my family like? How could being in God’s family bring belonging into my life? What am I looking forward to the most about my inheritance as God’s child?

How amazing is it to receive God’s goodwill even when I mess up? Think about the last time that happened. Did you really comprehend how much God loves you?

Do I truly understand that all these blessings are only because of Jesus? I didn’t earn them. How should this change the way I feel about Him and the way I seek to have a relationship with Him?

Meditate on these questions for a few minutes. Let the piano play for a couple verses then lead in a verse of praiser God from whom all blessings flow.