Bless the Lord (The Outline)

Title: Bless the Lord!

Text: Ephesians 1:1–3

INTRO

Image: walking into a room where everyone is already singing

a wonderful choir in full swing -

before you know the words, you can feel it in your chest

you don’t even know the melody yet

but you can feel: this is bigger than me

once you catch the words, you realize why everyone is singing:

someone in the room has been loved, helped, rescued, provided for

That’s what it feels like to open the letter to the Ephesians:

Paul doesn’t start with “church, here’s your checklist”

No, Paul opens with worship—he walks in with singing, he enters with praise:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Why that matters for a new church plant:

if Cornerstone is going to

be steady,

useful,

joyful—

we start with praise, not plans

we focus on God, not gimmicks

Paul’s flow

Status: who we are in Christ → saints

Bounty: what we receive in Christ → blessed

Joy: how we respond because of Christ → praise

Transition to text

So let’s listen closely to the opening lines, here God tells us:

who we are

what we’ve been given

what kind of church we’re meant to be

READ THE TEXT

Read Ephesians 1:1–3

PREACHING AIM (brief)

My task: preach the Bible—faithfully exposit Scripture

I’ll aim to give:

MIT: what it meant then

MIS: what it means for Cornerstone now

MIT: Paul introduces himself as God’s chosen messenger, identifies the church as God’s people in Christ, and blesses God for the spiritual blessings he has given them in Christ. MIS: Every blessing in Christ calls the church to bless God in praise.

“Paul starts with who we are in Christ—so let’s begin there: The Status of the Believer: Saint.”

“Before Paul tells us what we have, he tells us who we are: saints.”

1 — The STATUS of the Believer: SAINT

(Every Christian is set apart for God)

Observe v1

“Paul, an apostle… by the will of God… to the saints… faithful in Christ Jesus”

Paul the apostle (delegated authority)

Apostle = God-sent messenger, chosen by Christ

Authority to speak God’s words → why Cornerstone centers Scripture:

read / sing / pray / preach the Bible

Emphasize: “by the will of God”

Paul didn’t appoint himself

Not a mere man’s designation

This is delegated authority from God

Illustration: older sibling “in charge”

authority is assigned

parents leave a note (clear will)

so everyone knows what to do

In a similar way:

Ephesians = God’s letter

delivered by a delegated messenger

God has something to say to us here

Pastoral appeal

Cornerstone—God is speaking to you through this letter

Read it, hear it, breathe it in, live it out

“Basic Christianity” for the months ahead

Who are the readers?

believers—“faithful in Christ Jesus”

Explain Christianity simply (friendly tone):

agree with God about sin

trust Jesus to save

follow him as Lord

Semper fidelis

“always faithful / always loyal”

Only one way to be right with God, to be enlisted in his military:

pledge loyalty to King Jesus

Questions:

Have you trusted him?

Is he calling the shots?

Does he get the final say?

What “saint” means (gospel clarity)

Who are the saints? Not the NFL team…

“Saint” often thought = extra-holy MVP Christians

But in Paul’s letters:

saint = every believer, instantly, by grace

Hagios = holy/set apart

Not earned by works; received through Christ

Cornerstone: the moment you trust Jesus, God calls you saint

“holy one”

set apart for God

Transition to Point 2

If we are set apart for God, next question:

what does God give to his people?

That leads to point two: the Bounty of the Saint.

2 — The BOUNTY of the Saint: BLESSED

(Every Christian is blessed by God)

Observe the end of v3

“who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”

Anchor: blessed is a fact

Christian: you are blessed by God—this is true

Acknowledge feelings and suffering:

we don’t always feel blessed

dryness, low seasons, real hardship

Encourage:

turn your eyes upon Jesus

look full in his wonderful face

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of his glory and grace

Clarify: not every material blessing

Reject prosperity confusion:

God provides daily bread, yes

but not promised every physical/material comfort

Paul’s claim:

every spiritual blessing

Preview the blessings (1:3–14)

Chosen in Christ (1:4)

Adopted through Christ (1:5)

Accepted / graced in the Beloved (1:6)

Redeemed and forgiven through his blood (1:7)

Given wisdom and insight into God’s will (1:8–9)

Made heirs of an eternal inheritance (1:11)

Sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (1:13)

Guaranteed to the end—Spirit as down payment (1:14)

Punchlines

God hasn’t held back

He gives what we truly need

needs, not greeds

Decisive phrase: in Christ

blessings are located in union with Jesus

secured by his finished work

Union with Christ — adoption picture

child outside → adopted (signatures/court/final decree)

overnight changes:

(they now truly belong) New name

(a place at the table, a room, a family) New home

(no longer “outsider,” now “son/daughter”) New legal standing

(a future they didn’t earn) New inheritance

(not to become a child, but because they are a child) New family obligations

Key point:

not performance

relationship—brought in, united

Pastoral punch:

not just pardoned—brought home

not just forgiven— belonging in the family

not just rescued—received

Beloved, you are united to Christ by faith -

and you are BLESSED.

Transition to Point 3

If we’re blessed—what response should blessings produce?

What is the right response to those blessings? What should blessings produce in us? And Paul makes his answer unmistakable: blessings are meant to lead somewhere. They are meant to lead to worship.

3 — The JOY of the Blessed: PRAISE

(Every Christian is to praise God)

Observe v3 again

“Blessed be the God and Father…”

Bless God = praise him (speak well of him)

Praise is primary for Paul

Paul begins this letter with the most important thing: his love for God.

Did you know verse 3 begins the longest single sentence in the Greek New Testament?

He begins with praise to God:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus…”

And he continues until verse 14 where he concludes this sentence with:

“to the praise of his glory.”

Illustration prompt: kid at Christmas

Ask some young child in here what they received for Christmas.

They will barely take a breath before telling you all the gifts they received.

We talk about what we love.

Why this matters

Praise is not an afterthought for Paul.

This isn’t something he neglects and just works in when it’s convenient.

No—he’s been transformed.

He knows the Lord and what God has done for him, so like Psalm 103, he forgets not God’s benefits.

Paul says, with David (Psalm 103):

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”

He says, with David (Psalm 34):

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Core line: the reflex of the gospel

The Joy of the Blessed is PRAISE.

The gospel creates a reflex:

blessed people become blessing people.

God’s blessings don’t terminate on us;

they rebound back to him as worship.

Clarify: how we “bless” God

To be clear, we do not bless God in the same way he blesses us.

He gives us generously what we need—he is gracious to us.

We bless God by acknowledging how great and gracious he is.

In this way, to “bless” the Lord is simply to “praise” him—to speak well of him.

Three clear ways to grow in praise

Let me conclude with three clear ways to grow in our praise to God:

1) Build praise rhythms

Establish “daily praise moments” into ordinary routines.

Short benedictions were very common in Jewish daily life—spontaneous praise threaded through the day.

Concrete practice: pick 3 anchors

Morning: “Blessed be God… you’ve given me life in Christ today.”

Meal: “Father, every good gift is from you—thank you.”

Night: “You’ve carried me all day; grace and peace, again.”

2) Practice “crediting God” out loud

Paul’s praise here is basically: “Blessed be God… because he has blessed us.”

That’s a pattern to imitate.

Concrete practice: make it normal to say

“The Lord was kind to us today.”

“God provided—he really did.”

“That’s grace, not luck.”

This is everyday worship:

turning gifts into gratitude

and gratitude into Godward praise.

3) Sing like someone who has actually been blessed

If God has blessed you “with every spiritual blessing,” then half-hearted singing doesn’t fit the moment.

Don’t sing as a spectator—sing as a recipient.

“But pastor, what if I have a terrible singing voice?”

posture matters more than polish.

Aim for “full-heart” singing, not “perfect-voice” singing.

Concrete practice

Before the first song, quietly say:

“Father, you have already blessed me in Christ—help me bless you back.”

Closing recap

So the flow is simple: saints → blessed → praise.

That’s Paul’s logic:

God sets us apart,

God blesses us in Christ,

and we respond by blessing God.

Main idea again:

Every blessing in Christ calls the church to bless God in praise.

Call

If you are not in Christ: turn and trust.

If you are in Christ: let blessings become praise—this week, and every week.

Closing movement to the Table

And one of the ways we do that is by coming to the Lord’s Table in grateful faith:

remembering his death for us,

and renewing our communion with him.

And one of the ways we do that is by coming to the Lord’s Table in grateful faith, remembering his death for us and renewing our communion with him.