49 Preaching Teaching/ Ephesians 1:1-14: Treasure Chest Living

Treasure Chest Living

Identity Crisis

Treasure Chest living

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Paul reminded the Ephesians about the TRIUNE God so that they would experience the spiritual blessings found in Jesus.

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Treasure Chest living

Embraces the father’s awesome plan

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Hearers will leave with a greater awe of God so the can be who God created them to be. 

FCF-

We are tempted to confuse our identity in multiple things other than God instead of embracing the reality of who we are because of God’s Great work. 

Treasure Chest livings 

Introduction:

Explain how beautiful this temple was

“Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is as carefully structured as that great temple of Diana, and it contains greater beauty and wealth!”

Ephesians 1:1 NASB95

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Who is Paul-

What is an Epistle-

Why this book was written-

Who are the Ephesians-

The City-A very influential place. Paul went to places where the gospel could potentially spread to as many people as possible.

“Ephesus was considered the bank of Asia. One of the seven wonders of the world, the great temple of Diana, was in Ephesus, and was not only a center for idolatrous worship, but also a depository for wealth. . . .

Ephesians 1:2 NASB95

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

Have you ever struck gold? Growing up I loved a place called TCBY, The countries best yogurt. White Chocolate Mouse was my favorite. Could it get any better then that. Then one day I hit gold and found a different kind of yogurt place. [Explain it}. There is one problem I have 7 kids so going to this place it costs like 100 dollars. But I was working in College ministry and the manager met me a couple times and made me a deal. You can have a free 100 month of yogurt if you will just pass out three flamingos cards.

I started to take students in our ministry to 3 flamingos. Heather would call me: Where you at, 3 flamingos, this is work.

I would give these cards out to entire teams-just picture me as a young minister sharing the good news of Jesus with anyone who would listen. Then afterwards I would invite them to 3 flamingos.

There was a major difference between knowing about 3 flamingos and experiencing 3 flamingos.

A lot of Christians know about God, but not many are experiencing God like I experienced 3 flamingos. As great as It was to experience 3 flamingos God wants us to experience him.

If you are a follower of Jesus you have struck gold. And God wants us to live in his treasure chest.

There were two main reasons I did not go to three flamingos. 1) I did not know about it 2) it was too expensive. But once those obstacles were erased I was there all the time.

What obstacles are keeping you from living in God’s treasure chest?

Do you understand your identity in Christ?

Martin Luther said, “When I look to myself I don’t see how I can be saved. When I look to God I don’t see how I can be lost.”

Today I want to look afresh at God, if we can see him anew today we will live @ God’s treasure chest!

Today I want to look at three things that we must remember about God if we want to live in His treasure chest!

Treasure Chest living remembers

1. the Father’s amazing plan (3-6).

Whose plan are you embracing for your life. Is it your parents, it is the American dream, is it someone else, or is it God’s

God is described in the Bible as Trinity. God is one in three persons. Paul as he starts this book starts with this beautiful picture of the triune God.

Before God tells us what to do he reveals who he is!

Why should we be in awe of God’s plan?

a. We have every spiritual blessing (3).

Ephesians 1:3 NASB95

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 wants to bless you. Isn’t it amazing God is not this kill joy he is blessed and he wants to bless us with EVERY spiritual blessing.

The greatest thing he has blessed us with is his presence. We have available to us every spiritual blessing.

This has been his plan from eternity past. He has always wanted to bless us.

Where does he want to bless us: in the heavenly realms.

What does this mean:

“When you were born again into God’s family, you were born rich.”

 Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Eph 1:3). Galaxie Software.

Story about millionaire who God gangrene and would not go to the doctors and they had to cut his leg off.

Why should we be in awe of God’s plan?

b. He has chosen us (4).

Ephesians 1:4 NASB95

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

Exposition:

v. 4-He chose us. This doctrine cannot fully be explain but it can be fully enjoyed. Do not try to explain away the mystery of grace. God initiates with man.

Illustration: Playing basketball when I first began to play I was not very good. So when I went to the court because the people who have the next game did not want a bad player on their team. Later down the road when I got good it was easy to get picked up because we pick up the players that can bring something to the table. It was totally different with God, he did not pick us up because we have brought something to the table he picked us up because he loved us. 

The God of the universe chose us-not based on anything we have done but simply because he loves us. It does not stop there he picked us for a reason: so that we would be holy and blameless before him.

This is a reminder:

HOW WE LIVE IS IMPORTANT-HOW WE LIVE MATTERS

He wants us to live holy and blameless.

Does your life point people to Jesus?

There are a lot of Christians whose lives look like a bad haircut-No one wants to go to your barber if you have a bad haircut.

No one wants to come to a Jesus when are lives look nothing like his.

Why should we be in awe of God’s plan?

C. He has adopted us (v. 5).

Ephesians 1:5 NASB95

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

Notice God’s heart behind adopting us: He is kind.

“Election” refers to persons; predestination to purposes for those persons. God elects us to be saints (set-apart ones), then predestines that certain purposes in our lives shall come to pass (see Rom. 8:28ff). “Adoption” in the NT refers to the official act of a father who bestows the status of full adulthood on a son of minor status. It is not the taking in of an outsider; it is the placing of a family member into the privileges and blessings of adulthood. This means that even the youngest Christian has everything that Christ has and is rich in grace.

 Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Eph 1:5). Galaxie Software.

I had the privilege of walking Blake our adopted daughter down the aisle. The guy she married Dr. Phil I disciple in college. When they got married they got pregnant pretty early. After that they started praying about adopting. So they starting fostering. Since then they have actually adopted 4 others kids. This is significant because they are their legal kids, they have full responsibility over them, they are their parents.

When they were adopting these kids-they were literally creating a new family. These kids were there kids.

Denny’s in Paris-

ABBA FATHER

Ephesians 1:6 NAS

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

We are trophies of the grace of God.

Application:

If we want to live in God’s treasure chest we have to embrace the Father’s awesome plan

What is keeping you from embracing God’s great plan right now?

We need to look to God in a fresh new way!

In the Greek text verses 3–14 are one sentence. The Holy Spirit carried Paul along in his thinking as he contemplated God’s provision so that he moved quickly from one blessing to the next. It is as though he was ecstatically opening a treasure chest, lifting its jewels with his hands, letting them cascade through his fingers, and marvelling briefly at them as they caught his eye.

“. . . Ephesians 1:3–14 is one of the longest psalms of the New Testament, and it is a praise psalm in its form.”

 Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Eph 1:2). Galaxie Software.

Illustration: I have heard it said that you have won the lottery if you are born in America, compared to Cuba (When I was there many people may make 50 dollars a month) but anyone who is born into God’s family, it is a trillion times better. 

Observation:

Why he did God chose us, if did not we could not be holy and blameless apart from him, since he chose us we could be holy and blameless. 

Treasure chest living remembers

2. the son’s indescribable love (7-12).

Christianity is a journey and not a destination. We don’t need God’s love just one time, we need it daily.

We need to preach the good news to ourselves every day.

Why should we continually embrace grace?

A. He has redeemed us (v. 7a).

Ephesians 1:7 NAS

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

By giving His life on the cross, Christ purchased us from the slavery of sin. We have a present redemption in that He has delivered us from the penalty and power of sin; we shall have a future redemption (v. 14) when Christ delivers us from the presence of sin at His return.

Why should we continually embrace grace?

B. He has forgiven us (v. 7b).

The word “forgive” literally means “to send away.” Sin is a terrible burden that is sent away when a sinner turns to Christ. Christ carried the burden on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). It is pictured by the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, taken into the wilderness (Lev. 16:20–22).

Gospel-He has the basis on which he can forigive us.

Why should we continually embrace grace?

C. He has revealed God’s will to us (vv. 8–10).

Ephesians 1:8–10 NAS

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

A “mystery” is a divine truth known only by God’s people through revelation. In Christ we are a part of God’s eternal purpose to gather together “all things in Christ” (v. 10). This present world is falling apart with war, strife, and sin. But one day God will usher in a new creation, with all things united in Christ.

Why should we continually embrace grace?

D. He has made us an inheritance (vv. 11–12).

Ephesians 1:11–12 NAS

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

God has not only given us an inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:3–4), but He has made us an inheritance for Christ. The church is His body, temple, and bride; we shall some day share His glory.

Application:

Derek Drake and how his dad showed him the love of God when he got kicked out of Christian school.  His sophomore year he roomed with some non-Christ followers with the hopes of firing them up for Jesus. The plan backfired and the opposite affects was true. Picture of after the playoff game and drinking with the team and getting drunk. This scene sent a spiral for his semester. This led to a semester of running from the Lord. Got a call from the dean’s list. Dean asked him point blank and he lied to him but he had videos of him being drunk. 48 hours to leave the campus. (Walk of Shame moment going back to the dorm). Confession to call his dad. 

Are you living in the love of God right now?

God doesn’t just say we have an inheritance he says we are his inheritance. Treasure Chest living:

Invites the Holy Spirit into their lives. 

Treasure chest living remembers

3. our direct access to the Holy Spirit.

D.L Moody-Someone asked him why do you always talk about the Holy Spirit- He responded-I leak!

The father initiated this marvelous plan 

The Son carried it out and the Holy Spirit allows us to live it out. 

What has the Holy Spirit done?

A. He has sealed us (v. 13).

This important verse outlines the way of salvation. The sinner hears the Word of Truth, trusts in Christ, receives the Holy Spirit, and is sealed forever. “After that ye believed” ought to be “when ye believed,” for the Spirit enters the heart the instant the sinner trusts Christ. This sealing means God owns us and will keep us. Nobody can break God’s seal!

B. He has given us an earnest (v. 14).

“Earnest money” in business means money given as a down payment for a purchased possession. Christ has purchased our future for us, but we have not yet entered into all the blessings. God has given us His Spirit as the “down payment” to assure us that we will experience total redemption and receive God’s promised blessings in glory.

Please note that at the end of each of these three sections, Paul tells why the Father, the Son, and the Spirit have given us these blessings: “To the praise of His glory” (vv. 6, 12, 14b). Salvation is by God’s grace and for God’s glory! God does not have to save anybody; when He does save the sinner, He does so for His own glory.

Application:

Do these three truths we looked at today make you want to live in the treasure chest.

The Yougurt discovery I made is nothing compared to the discovery we saw today.

End with better specific examples of what happens when we don’t live in the treasure chest and how to live in the treasure chest.