What if? Redemption of the Gift

Part 1: - Redemption of the Gift (The gift of salvation, are we ready to receive it?)

Part 2: - Redemption of the sinner (Our redemption is only made possible by Christ Jesus)

Part 3: - Redemption of the Church (The Church only begins to reusable what it was intended for when we experience God Horizontally through the congregation.)

We often focus to much on the vertical when we are also called to focus in on the horizontal as the Gospel is expressed throughout our lives.

What if…? This was different in my life / I could accomplish this or that / I had “this” in my life.

God’s blessings as seen in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: What if being a Christian is less about what I can do for God, and more about what God has done for me? What if my purpose and identity weren’t built around the things I can produce but the things I have received? What if God’s promise is true and I already have every spiritual blessing? Maybe then… I could re-discover joy.

Opening Prayer

Palm Sunday - Can you imagine being there

John 12:12–15 NIV

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

John 12:

Not knowing what the people were doing, they had hope. There is hope of assuring in a new era. What if this was the Messiah? What if our lives could be better? What if we could find true joy and hope?

I believe the book of Eph opens up by yes defining the Savour but asking the deeper question… Are we open to the gift of the Saviour?

Ephesians 1:3–5 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Eph 1-

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Ephesians 1:3–5 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Eph 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

v3 Blessings - eulogia

Rooted in:

Lego - to say or to tell

logos - word or message

eulogeo - praise

in the Greek The only worthy blessing is that of God’s blessings. People are blessed when they receive His blessing.

Pleasure - eudokia what is Pleasing to God

v4 Time Some would use this passage to highlight a type of theological stance of Election. I personal hold the stance of universal election, that all are called to be in relationship with Christ, yet sadly some chose not to be adopted into the family of God.

Pleasure - eudokia what is Pleasing to God

Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary b. Praise for God’s Purpose and Blessings in Christ (1:3–14)

All history, all people, all that exists in heaven and on earth are included in his purpose. Past, present and future are all embraced in this doxology

Pleasing to God

Insight into God’s purposes

Eph 1:6-

v5 Pleasure - eudokia what is Pleasing to God

Sonship - adoption

Picture of Grant … and his Son

So we are are able to receive the fullness of God’s blessing which was intended from the beginning through the adoption process of being adopted into the family of God, and this brings great pleasure to God

Ephesians 1:6–8 NIV

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

v6 Glory I would compare this with Moses experience on the mountain side.

Exodus 33:18–19 NIV

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Grace - He freely bestowed His loved love & Grace on us

The Key is found in Christ!

v7 Christ Redemption can be found all the way throughout scripture. We just came out of looking at Nehemiah, Israel’s unfaithfulness and Israel’s redemption out of slavery. How much more is Christ our redeemer.

There is a cost… Immediately there there is a talk of Cost… through His blood

Redemption was a slavery term, to redeem something beyond personal redemption, it had to be done for you.

Redemption from Sin, was a calling into a life without that ailment.

Horns In Israel called a Rham’s horn… calling into Holiness

v8 Lavish - it does not matter how unworthy we are, we are welcomed at the family table.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Eph 1:13-14

Hearing and Believing

The distinction is Hearing and the Gospel is just step 1 of two steps

We can hear the horn bast, but do we respond?

In the New Testament different religious groups would tattoo on their skin the group they followed

This is what I think Paul had in mind when he said this about Jesus

Galatians 6:17 NIV

From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Never the less it is not a seal or tattoo or as the jews falsely assumed circumcision that sealed our salvation

Rather the Holy spirit

Inheritance Going back to verse three where it talked about all the good blessing come from God, this is the inheritance as a child of God that we are promised. But it seams to suggest that this is not fully realized, we are not fully free from the bondages of this world until we are in heaven.

Ephesians 1:12–14 NIV

in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Eph 1:12-

Ephesians 1:15–18 NIV

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Eph 1:15-18

v18 Openness Are our eyes open and our hearts open to what God wants to say to us? An open hand to receive

As Easter approaches what is your posture? Are you like the one’s who came out to the Road to meet Jesus or are you to busy, over scheduled?

What is your posture?

Are you open to the gift?

Communion

Palm Sunday

Combined with and overlapping of the triumphant entry and the call of the shophare, a call to holyness and revrence!

Is Your Heart open to gratitude, a heart of reception.

Communion.

What if? Redemption of the Gift

Review

Intro