Eph 1_3 The Everlasting Covenant ver 2

Secular:

• Activities to long and too short and eternal  
• Hope has come…
• Don’t seek it elsewhere
• It is in Christ… Christ alone!
• It is seeing and seeking His Glory
• Ro 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

• We are Saints who are to be Faithful to be In Christ
• To the saints who are in Squamish, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Biblical:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Personal:

• Passing and fleeting relationship…
•  Unsure outcomes
• Did I sign up for this…
• Trust helps
• Hope helps
• Choosing to Love is not an option!
• We know contract….
• Contract explained
• One-on-one
• Conditions
• Trade-off
• Covenant
• Relationship with God or Before God
• Not just one-on-one
• God’s part is unconditional, He is unchanging
• Not a trade-off… God only has something to offer
•  Everlasting Covenant… beyond death… no fading….
•  Such relationship worth singing

Bridge:

• The hymn
• Is Worship through singing the attributes of God
• Hymns… not about us
• It is about who He is!
• What He does!
• Hymn singing is worship and revelling in Glory
• Acknowledging and celebrating God…
• It is the natural reaction of those who have experienced God…
• Exclaim God
• Sing God
• Express God
• How could it be anything less?
• From 3-14 One verse… on going…
• It is an extolling of the awesomeness of God.
• Declaring who He is and his Sovereignty…
• His work as redeemer….
•  An everlasting covenant….

Body:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Everlasting Covenant - A) In Christ

• A blessing in our Saviour, Redeemer….
• No Christ… no blessing…
• Blessing apart providence Matthew 5:45 (ESV) … For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
• In Christ much more…
• Acts 4:12 (ESV) 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• Everlasting Covenant in Christ

Everlasting Covenant - B) Spiritual Blessings

• Receives the Holy Spirit… not our for power…. To Glorify the Father through Christ.
• The gift is
• The Work of Christ applied in Salvation
•  
• The Seal of Assurance
• Seals us… for eternity! 1 Cor 1:21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
• Guaranteed in God
•  
• Power for ministry
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Focuses on Christ!!
• Spiritual Blessings
• Everlasting Covenant…. Spiritual Blessings….

Everlasting Covenant - C) Heavenly Places

•  Live the heaven reality
• God promise
• Like being Prepared for a trip
• Excited
• Going Home a reality
• 1 Peter 2:11 (ESV) Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
• Don’t commit treason… live the reality
• 2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV) For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
•  Be strong
• This is your destiny…. Strength… Strive
• Everlasting Covenant… Heavenly Places

Saints Respond….

Response - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…,

1st - Gratitude

•  Hymn of Thanksgiving…
• Life of singing…
• It is about focus…
• It is about understanding…
• Consistent with other Pauline Epistles….
• Singing and Worshipping are shallow if we don’t know the depths…
• Saints only respond in their lives when they know the doctrine… the truth…. What we know
• Worship is mitigated…. Lessened… by not knowing the worshipee… and by sharing the worship…. (Give it to someone else)
• The Truth Buffets us… how do we respond… change or stand firm?
• We respond to the God of our salvation… Our Father… Our Saviour…. Our Strength

2nd Worship Worthy

•  We don’t first worship God because of what he does… though it is worthy….
•  But because of what He has done… we can Know Him, Hear Him, Truly Worship Him!
• And He is Worthy!!
• Re 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
•  Immortal, Invisible, God-only, Wise Pg 55
• God is uniquely worthy to be praised
•  How great and awesome is He
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…,

Conclusion:

• Hymn….
• Saints Respond
• Worthy
• Everlasting Covenant
• In Christ
• In Spirit
• In Heavenly Places