Riches of His Grace

So we start our journey into the sufficiency of Christ, the riches of Christ! Part one of the two movement journey is the doctrine (chapters 1-3). Somethings to consider as we start this journey

When you think of riches what do you think of? Compare that to the riches of God’s grace as we make this journey

You were chosen by God, why?

What are the results of being chosen and blessed by God?

(Illustration) - there is story of a pompous lawyer reading a client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives (reminds me of scene from movie “the ultimate gift”). The lawyer starts reading and it says “I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all.”

When Christ wrote His last will and testament for His church, He made it possible for us to share in His spiritual blessings, spiritual riches. He did not spend it all, He gave it all by paying the price for all on the Cross. The resurrection made the inheritance of all riches of God’s grace available to us.

Today we are looking at

Blessings of the riches : the Aim

Blessings of the riches: From the Father

Blessings of the riches: From the Son

Blessings of the riches: From the Spirit

I. Blessings of the riches: The Aim

Without a doubt each book of the Bible has a theme, a message, an aim to it. Genesis is book of beginnings, Matthew book of the kingdom; Philippians book of joy, Galatians book of freedom, John book of belief. Ephesians is book of the Christian’s riches in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:3 NASB95

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

The source of our blessings: who is the source? he Father is our source

God the Father has made us rich “in” Christ Jesus - this happened when you were born again.

In Christ we have

Riches of God’s grace (Eph1:7; 2:7)

Ephesians 1:7 NASB95

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 2:7 NASB95

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Think about that, “in” Christ we get to share in these riches

Riches of God’s glory (Eph1:18)

Ephesians 1:18 NASB95

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Riches that Paul prays for the Ephesians, and in turn us, to understand

Riches of God’s mercy (Eph2:4)

Ephesians 2:4 NASB95

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Riches that God has given and shown us!

And the unsearchable riches in Christ (Eph3:8)

Ephesians 3:8 NASB95

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

Riches that are unfathomable, that we get to share with others.

The Scope of our blessings (Deu28:1-13; Php4:19; Act19:1-7; Rom8:9, 15-16)

Whereas the blessings that Israel received in the O.T. were a result of their obedience our are according to the riches in glory by Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:19 NASB95

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

The Father, the source of all blessings, made available through the Son are found through the Spirit. It is important that we know that we have been provided the Spirit of God, so it is not surprising the question asked of the Ephesians in Act19:1-7 if they had received the Holy Spirit. For without the Spirit, you are not saved.

Romans 8:9 NASB95

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Without the witness of the Spirit you cannot share, draw from the wealth of the Spirit that came through Christ from the Father the source of the riches

Romans 8:15–16 NASB95

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

This brings us to:

The Sphere of our blessings (Lk16:8; Php3:20; Lk10:20, Eph1:2, 2:6 and 6:12)

According to the verse it is in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus

In the heavenlies not the worldly

Luke 16:8 ESV

8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Don’t be a son of this world, be a son of light who can enjoy all the riches in the heavenlies where our citizenship is (Php3:20) where our name is written (Lk10:20) where hrist is seated now

Ephesians 1:2 NASB95

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

where we as believers, if you are a believer who has obeyed the gospel is seated

Ephesians 2:6 NASB95

6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Remember we battle not with flesh and blood, but in the heavenlies, the place where our blessings are

Ephesians 6:12 NASB95

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

As a Christian we operate in two spheres, the visible and the invisible, the physical and the spiritual. Seated in the heavenlies but living in the physical now. Let us now press on and look and some of the blessings we get from the Father, from the Son and from the Spirit.

II. Blessings: From the Father

You are chosen, you are adopted, you are accepted. Know, believe, receive the blessings from the Father.

Ephesians 1:4–5 NASB95

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Ephesians 1:6 NASB95

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

You are chosen (Eph1:4, Jn15:16; Rom3:10-11; Lk19:10; Rom12:1; Php4:13)

Before the world was created, God had a plan, His plan was for the church, and you are the church if you are in Christ Jesus. You can see this type of choosing in the choosing of the Apostle, and the sending of the Apostles so we can have the N.T. today.

John 15:16 NASB95

16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

You are the fruit of their calling, their labor. They were chosen with a purpose, and the purpose is defined and empowered, for if we were left to our own devices

Romans 3:10–11 NASB95

10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;

We hove no righteousness outside of Christ, we do not seek God outside of Christ. God had a plan and God’s plan was Christ, who came to seek us (Lk19:10) us, the lost! The purpose beyond salvation is to be holy and blameless.

In a society where everything is permissible, it is no different then the days of the kingdom of Israel where all did what seemed right in their own eyes. - - - that was never God’s plan, it was not God’s given purpose. His purpose is for His people, His church to be holy and blameless.

Holy: To be different, to be separate, to be set apart

We are to be different from the world, we are to be Christ like, set apart for His purpose and His glory and to live for His purpose. Don’t be conformed but be transformed, transformed to be holy.

Blameless: meaning to be unblemished

From the Greek word “Amomos” and that is a sacrificial word meaning “unblemished” - so we are to be different, we are to be set apart, we are to be unblemished, living sacrificially for Him who gave it all for us so that we can have all His riches, all His blessings

You were chosen by the One who gave it all. So don’t discount yourself, don’t use the ole cop out “I’m only human” for that is discounting what God said, what God did through Christ Jesus and it is minimizing what God promised.

Philippians 4:13 NASB95

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

or in another version

Philippians 4:13 NIV

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

So may we live our lives daily sacrificially for Him, for the pattern of sacrifice is one of the blessings from the Father

God the Father sacrificed His own Son so we may be redeemed from our sins

God the Son redeemed us at the cost of His suffering, death, and resurrection all by the finished work on the cross

God the Spirit - the Spirit of adoption given, the seal applied that we have been redeemed, redeemed and set free!

You are adopted (Eph1:5; 2Pt3:9; Act2:23; Rom8:29-30; Eph1:11)

Ephesians 1:5 NASB95

5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Predestined a word that has confounded and confused many. God did not predestine anyone to hell, scripture is clear on that

2 Peter 3:9 NASB95

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

This predestination is God’s plan from before time began to save sinful man. This predestined is reminding the saved, the believers who are already in Christ what blessings they have in Christ and they were saved with a purpose. Jesus fulfilled His purpose, predestined purpose on the cross (Act2:23) just as He predestined us!

Romans 8:29–30 NASB95

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

All this so that we may know the rights of our future inheritance in Him

Ephesians 1:11 NASB95

11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

He works out all things after the counsel of His will because the Father has accepted us through the beloved.

He has accepted us (Eph1:6)

Ephesians 1:6 NASB95

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

we are found acceptable by His grace which He bestowed on us by Christ sacrifice we can be recipients of God’s grace and God’s blessings. Not just grace but the riches of His grace, God’s grace that made us acceptable by Him, the One who gave it all brought blessings to His too.

III. Blessings: From the Son

The riches of His grace comes from the work of all three parts of the Godhead, Each part has a part to play, first in our salvation and then in our ministry (serving).

Ephesians 1:7–8 NASB95

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight

Ephesians 1:9–10 NASB95

9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

Ephesians 1:11–12 NASB95

11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

He redeemed us (EPh1:7; 1Pt1:18-19)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary shows redemption is the purchase back of something that had been lost, by payment of a ransom (Greek word: apolutrosis) so, in other words a price paid.

In a time where over 40% of the population the the Roman providences, about 60,000 were slaves there would be lots of redemption's that would have. Some of them were purchases to set the slave free. That is what Jesus did, paid the price with Is blood.

1 Peter 1:18–19 NASB95

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

As a slave we would be poor, but as the redeemed we are rich because of His grace because the blessings of the Son bring forgiveness.

We are forgiven (Eph1:7; Psm103:12; Jn1:29)

Divine forgiveness, restorative forgiveness. God’s restoration of relationship entailing the removal of the object of guilt. Forgiveness for the offense against God’s holiness (Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary).

Christ did not just die for our sins, but to carry them away as noted in (Psm103:12); the sin that John the Baptist said Jesus as the lamb of God came to take away (Jn1:29)

Sin made us poor, sin separated us from God; But God’s grace received through the blood of Christ has made us rich and blessed.

Through Jesus, God has revealed His will to us (Eph1:8-10; Rom6:5; Php2:2)

Ephesians 1:8–9 NASB95

8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

Ephesians 1:10 NASB95

10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

Lavished, think about this, it is a verb meaning to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities. - - - What has God bestowed on us, lavished on us besides HIs grace? He lavished us with His mystery revealed on us for us to have all wisdom and insight into God’s grand plan. Since the garden man was separated from God (see Gen3 or look at Isa59:2) then man was even separated from man (Gen4; Cain and Able). Sin has been tearing the world apart, but God’s grand plan, God’s mystery, Jesus Christ has been revealed, lavished on us so that all things would be united through Him.

Romans 6:5 NASB95

5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

And united in Spirit

Philippians 2:2 NASB95

2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

God’s grand plan made known and available to all who were willing to receive the inheritance by faith (Eph1:11-12, 1Pt1:1-4)

Ephesians 1:11–12 NASB95

In 1Pt1:1-4 we are told that we are born again to a living hope so we can obtain an inheritance when we obey Jesus Christ. We receive an inheritance that is

Imperishable

It is undefiled

We not only receive an inheritance we are an inheritance as the church (Rom8:17)

We are Christ’s body (Eph1:22-23)

We are the household of God (Eph2:9-21)

We are the bride of Christ (Eph5:22-23)

And finally we are joint heirs with Him.

Romans 8:17 NASB95

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

WE are His and He is ours; He is glorified and since we are in Him, we too are glorified! Now would you call that rich? Would you call that blessed?

So we have blessings from the Father, we have blessings from the Son, we have not gotten to the Spirit yet.

IV. Blessings: From the Spirit

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Promise, the Spirit of Adoption, the seal of adoption, also seen in our passage as pledge of our inheritance

Ephesians 1:13–14 NASB95

13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The blessings start with salvation (put plan of salvation here)

The Holy Spirit of promise received is the promise of our final salvation. It is God’s earnest deposit with a view of our day of final redemption.

Why is the spirit given according to this passage? (look at v.14)

TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY!

To the praise of His glory when we know that all true riches come from Him

To the praise of His glory comes from God’s grace and it is for God’s glory

To the praise of His glory, the riches we started talking about today, well this is just a start.

(insert invitation slide here)

Are you a partaker of the blessings? To be one you have to be His first. And if you are His are you living in the blessings, enjoying the blessings? (expand)