Ephesians 1:3 - So, Who Is Blessed?
Illustration:
Overview -
Outline of Ephesians
Chapters 1-3 Chapters 4-6
Doctrine… Duty
What You Believe… Affects How You Behave
Privileges… Responsibility
Blessings… Conduct
In chapters 1 to 3 we are given blessings after blessings. In chapter 4 through 6 we are given command after command.
Longest verse in the Bible Ephesians 1:3-14
FIRST - THE BLESSED ONE - GOD
Ephesians 1:3
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,
Notice the word “BLESSED or PRAISE” in verse 3. It is a very interesting and unique word. Whenever it is used in the Bible, it is used only in relation to God. Did you know that? The word “BLESSED” or “PRAISE” is never used in Bible for you and I to receive praise.
So what does the word blessed or praise mean?
The Greek word is Εὐλογητὸς from which we get our English word eulogy. A eulogy is where we speak well of someone. So to praise or to bless God is to say something good about God.
- HOW DO WE BLESS GOD?
Someone once asked me, Why would we want to bless God? After all they said, “God is infinitely blessed already.” Can the lesser bless the greater? God said,
Psalm 50:12
“If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.
So how can we bless God?
You do it the same way the writer of the book of Ephesians did it. When the apostle Paul wrote this book he was in jail. He was chained to a Roman solider for 5 years but notice in chapter 1, verse 3 what Paul says,
Ephesians 1:3
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,
(1). BY SIMPLY EXPRESSING OUR GRATITUDE.
We need to be like Paul and say,
Ephesians 1:3
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,
Or we need to be like David and say,
Psalm 103:1
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
We can bless God by praising Him, extolling Him, honoring Him, and magnifying His holy name.
We need to break our silence and speak of the glory of God.
Do you know how to actually minister to God in a very personal way? Turn to Isaiah 58:6-12
(2) BY DOING GOOD TO OTHERS.
When people are sick, visit them.
When folks are down cast, comfort them.
When people are poor, help them.
When they are hard pressed, stand by them.
When people are hungry, feed them.
Matthew 25:40
“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Someone says, "Yes I understand all that, but, I just can not praise God. I have sinned so terrible. I am so full of shame." I'll tell you what you can do. You can confess that sin to God. 1 John 1:9 And God will cleanse and forgive you. You will be as white as snow. And Psalm 3:3 says:
Psalm 3:3
But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
John White is a well know Christian author. He has just delivered a message at a Baptist Church in Dallas Texas. During the invitation a woman came forward. Her head was turned down and her hair covered her face. She just gave the appearance that she was so full of shame. As soon as she reached John White, she confessed some sin. And as soon as she confessed her sin, John White reached down and lifted up her chin, and said, "Look up. You don't have to do that anymore. Your a child of the King."
You can praise God. Your a child of the King. Look again at verse 3, and notice once again the word "BLESSED" or “PRAISE.”
SECOND - THE BLESSER - GOD
Look at verse 3 and notice how Paul views God.
Ephesians 1:3
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,
- GOD IS GOD AND FATHER OF JESUS.
This is a great mystery called the trinity. The Trinity most definitely is a mystery. It was A.W. Toser who said, "Trying to understand the Trinity, will drive you insane. Not believing the Trinity will send you to hell."
Augustine, while puzzling over the doctrine of the Trinity, was walking along the beach one day when he observed a young boy with a bucket, running back and forth to pour water into a little hole. Augustine asked, "What are you doing?" The boy replied, "I'm trying to put the ocean into this hole." Then Augustine realized that he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite mind.
When Jesus prayed, He prayed to God.
When Jesus leaned on faith, He leaned on the promises of God.
When Jesus sang on that Passover night, He sang unto God.
When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane with sweat like great drops of blood, He prayed to God.
John 20:17
Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ”
God said speaking of Jesus, “
Matthew 3:17
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
The angel Gabriel said to Mary the mother of Jesus,
Luke 1:35
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
When Jesus hung upon the cross, He prayed to God saying, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me."
Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
And yet at the same time Jesus presented Himself as God. In John chapter 10, Jesus said to the Pharisees, "I and the Father are one." When Jesus said that, the Pharisees pick up rocks to kill him? Because the Bible says that Jesus
John 10:33
The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
When Jesus reveled Himself to doubting Thomas, Thomas said, "My lord and my God."
Not only is God called the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, but notice also from verse 3 that God is called the "FATHER" of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as God is another mystery hidden in the Trinity. But to suffice it to say, God is the father of the divine nature of Jesus.
On 2 occasions God spoke from heaven saying,
Matthew 3:17
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 17:5
I want to make it clear that Jesus is God and Jesus was not born in heaven. Jesus has always existed. As a matter of fact Scripture says that Jesus created the heavens and the earth.
John 1:3
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Colossians 1:16
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
It was God's Son that was born in Bethlehem. So Jesus has 2 natures. He has God's nature, because Jesus is God. And He is human. Jesus had to grow as all babies had to grow. He hungered. He was thirsty. He wept. Jesus had a divine side and a human side. God was His father.
So why am I saying this? Because God is also my father and your father. Jesus Christ father is also our father.
THIRD - THE BLESSED - US
Blessings from God are an accomplished act. The phrase "has blessed" is in the past tense indicating an act already completed. In other words the riches that are available in Christ are current realities and need not be searched for. It is a transaction that has already taken place in Christ. At this very moment you are joined to Him by faith and you have present ownership to every spiritual blessing.
Notice verse 3
Notice the verse does not say, “I hope he has blessed us. But instead it says,
Ephesians 1:3
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 Reuben Donnelly Company of Chicago is the nation's largest printer of magazines. They have a huge machine that sends out notices to people whose subscriptions have expired. One day the computer had a malfunction and a rancher in Powder Bluff, Colorado received 9734 notices that his subscription to National Geographic had expired. He rode the ten miles to the post office, sent his money, and wrote, "Send me the magazine. I give up!" That's how God piles up His blessings. He hits us with blessings so
FOURTH - THE BLESSINGS - SPIRITUAL
EPHESIANS 1:3
“…SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS…”
What is the difference between spiritual blessing and physical blessings?
Physical blessings do not last long. They wear out or break. Physical blessings can be lost or stolen. Physical blessings can be spent.
I thank God for the physical blessings. But I say, “Hallelujah, I want to say Praise God, for the spiritual blessings that can not be lost or stolen.
To be a heir of God is better than an inheritance.
Did you notice in verse 3 how may blessings we have received.
Ephesians 1:3
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,
There is no spiritual blessing that God has not given us. God has given us all the spiritual blessings.
Right now somebody is thinking, “I haven’t received any spiritual blessings.”
You know what, that’s your own fault, because the Bible says,
Ephesians 1:3
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,
A few of the blessings:
V 4 Chosen in Christ
V-5 Adopted
V-6 Accepted
V-7 Redeemed & Forgiven
V - 8-9 Enlightened
V - 11 Given an inheritance
V-13 Sealed
V-14 Assurance
That means I have a new heart, a new conscience, a new hope, a new patience.
That means I have justification, adoption.
If you don’t have God’s blessings, it’s your fault.
You don’t have to have a large faith to laid hold of God’s blessings. Do you know why? Because they have already been given to you. Just receive them.
FIFTH - THE BLESSING’S LOCATIONS - HEAVENLIES IN CHRIST
Ephesians 1:3
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,
You know what, if our spiritual blessings came to us any other way, we would lose them. Their heavenly blessings in Christ.
If someone could hand a spiritual blessings to us, they could hand us a counterfeit blessing. But instead the blessings come to us “IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST.”
Maybe I could make myself a successful business man, but I could never make my way in grace.
Two young boys were leaving their neighbors house with cookies in hand. One boy says to the other boy, "Mrs. Wilson gives us a cookie because she is nice, not because we're nice." God's grace is just like that. It is not something you earn, God gives you His blessings just because God is God. God loves you because God is love. You don't have to earn a thing. All we have to do is accept.
You can always find an avenue to praise God:
Matthew Henry, the famous Bible teacher in the late 1800’s was once accosted by thieves and robbed of his wallet. He wrote these words in his diary: "Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my wallet, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took all my money, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."
Praising God can save your life:
One Christmas Eve, Ira D. Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River. Asked to sing, Mr. Sankey sang the "Shepherd Song." After the song was ended, a man with a rough, weatherbeaten face came up to Mr. Sankey and said: "Did you ever serve in the Union Army?" Sankey replied "Yes, I did, in the spring of 1860." The man asked, "Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright moonlight night in 1862?" Sankey was surprised and said, "Yes, I did." The stranger said, "So did I. But I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post I said to myself: 'That fellow will never get away from here alive.' I raised my musket and took aim. I was standing in the shadow completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you. At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing. Music, especially song, has always had a wonderful power over me, and I took my finger off the trigger. 'Let him sing his song to the end.' I said to myself. 'I can shoot him afterwards. He's my victim at all events, and my bullet cannot miss him.' But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. I heard the words perfectly: We are Thine, do Thou befriend us / Be the guardian of our way. Those words stirred up many memories in my heart. I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother. She had many, many times sung that song to me. But she died all too soon, otherwise much in my life would no doubt have been different. When you had finished your song it was impossible for me to take aim at you again. I thought: 'The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty' and my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side."