The Richness of Christ

As we continue our study of the first chapter in Ephesians.

I know its been a while

So Id like to remind you of what has been studied thus far.

So Far we have seen:

All spiritual blessings that have been poured upon us v. 3

The omniscient, sovereignty of our omnipotent God through subject of election and predestination v. 4-5

The Praise of the father for His acceptance and grace v.6

Our redemption through the Blood of Jesus v.7

The revelation of His will through Jesus Christ v.8-9

The reconciling plan of this will v. 10

What we have not discussed, is the fact that this portion of the first chapter seems to be written as a praise hymn or song and if you look closely you can see this structure.????? In actuality, verses 3-14 make up one entire sentence, with verses 6, 12 and 14 acting as the choruses for this song of praise.

Now you may ask, “why are you giving us this overload of information?”

The reason that that this is important lies in the fact that the structure of the passage is incredibly important if we want to truly understand the message in which Paul wishes to convey. Furthermore, if we attempt to blend all the sections of this sentence we miss the emphasis found of repeated themes within this verse

As did I at first. Elaborate: So much here that christ has given us before we move on to the holy spirit

In other words the starts and stops of verses 6, 12, and 14 are dividing marks, the chorus, if you will, for each theme of thought being established. Verse 3-5 shows us God the fathers working in our salvation, 7-11 reminds us of God the Son’s part in our salvation and 13-14 gives us glimpses of God the Spirit’s work in our salvation.

Thesis:

With this in mind, we are going to be keying in on the Richness of Christ that is elaborated upon, in verses 11-12. It is in this Richness that as heirs, through Christ, we find an Inheritance.

Please stand for the reading of God’s word!

Ephesians 1:11–12 KJV 1900

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Heirs of His Richness:

From the first statement of verse 11 what is the first word that immediately “sticks out” in your mind? For me its the word Inheritance!

I probably need to watch that,

Immediately before this key word what action do you see? Obtained

Its interesting that Paul has already told us that God has given us all spiritual blessings in v. 3. Its like he wants us to know that without a shadow of a doubt we have been adopted and are heirs to His riches.

What is this inheritance?

The Path of His inheritance

Before we begin to understand what this inheritance is, we must understand that there is a path for this inheritance to be obtained.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:14

Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

God’s redeeming love, flows from the heart of the Father through the blood of the Son -John Owen

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

I tell you today that there is a path and there is a way, His name is JESUS!

As we continue to define this narrow path we see from verse 7 that this richness, this inheritance is found only through the blood of Jesus. It is in this blood that redemption and the forgiveness of sin is found through grace. This isn’t just any blood, this is the rich, royal, red blood of THE perfect King. He is fully God and fully man, by His perfection and His deity, He is able to pay the penalty of my sins. Death was defeated through His resurrection, blazing the path that we too may follow, if we choose. However, we also know that not only is Jesus the path, but no one can come, apart from the drawing of the God

we find this here|.

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Christ made the way through His blood, God draws us, then we respond to this draw by the surrendering of our very life to His Lordship. Which equates to the death of me through repentance and faith.

In case anyone was wondering, this path has nothing to do with how good you are, it has everything to do with who He is.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

The Promise of His Inheritance

Inheritance is defined as the portion of possessions that transfers to an heir upon the owner’s death.

What is this inheritance in which we have been promised?

Through this process of biblical salvation, we find that we have been made heirs through our adoption to this inheritance. Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” tells us this.

As heirs through the adoption process, we find that, that part of that which is promised is eternal life Luke 10:25-28. It is in this eternal life that we find the riches of God. Peter proclaims in 1 Peter 1:4 that this inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, will not fade and is reserved in Heaven.

1 Peter 1:4 KJV 1900

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

John Calvin writes of our inheritance, "We do not have the full enjoyment of it at present. . . . We walk . . . in hope, and we do not see the thing as if it were present, but we see it by faith. . . . Although, then, the world gives itself liberty to trample us under foot, as they say; although our Lord keeps us tried with many temptations; although he humbles us in such a way that it may seem we are as sheep appointed to the slaughter, so that we are continually at death’s door, yet we are not destitute of a good remedy. And why Seeing that the Holy Spirit reigns in our hearts, we have something for which to give praise even in the midst of all our temptations. . . . [Therefore,] we should rejoice, mourn, grieve, give thanks, be content, wait"

This inheritance is a place, were eventually there will be no tears, a place were there will be no death, no pain and we will be in the very presence of God Revelation 21:4.

The Presentation of His Inheritance

When considering this passage, there are two approaches regarding translations, the first view is that “we” as believers obtain an inheritance, which has already been discussed. Secondarily, this greek phrase for obtained can also be rendered as “were made.”

This is seen in

John 10:28-29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

Highlight “My Father which gave them to me.”

Throughout the book of John, Jesus repeatably speaks of believers as gifts that the father has given Him.

Jesus won us at calvary- as the spoils of His victory over satan, sin and death- and we now belong to Him. -John McArthur

Malachi 3:17 further states “they will be mine, says the lord of hosts, on the day that i prepare My own possession.”

While both approaches are grammatically and theologically correct, a question popped in my mind.

Do I look like an Inheritance to God?

If Im honest, I’d say “no”, but I know that God no longer sees me, He sees the blood of my Jesus and it is this blood that covers me, it is this blood that makes me presentable, it is this blood that makes me desirable and it is this blood that makes me presentable before a righteous and holy God.

There is no other means in which we might be presented as an inheritance to God other than the rich red blood of Jesus Christ.

Trust of His Richness:

Ephesians 1:11–12 KJV 1900

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Key in on being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

In the world in which we live, we really do not have a firm grasp on what it means to trust. While predestinate seems to be a big and scary word, as believers surrendered to Christ this should give us comfort.

but why should this give us comfort?

Obviously, from 1 John 5:13 God want us to know without a shadow of doubt that we have this Inheritance of eternal life.

But why can we trust the promises of this inheritance?

The second half of verse 11 is comforting because of who God is and it is in this verse that we find Paul leveraging these attributes, that we might have eternal security and trust.

Forever Known

First we find that God has set forth a plan. From v. 4 we see that this plan was set forth before the foundation of the world. Therefore, this predestination or foreordaining in which Paul speaks solidifies the presence of God’s Omniscience. In other words God knows all things.

1 John 3:20 States that He knows everything.

Proverbs 15:3 Says that the eyes of the Lord are on everything.

He knows and numbers the stars Psalm 147:4, but still knows the number of hairs on your head Matthew 10:30.

Because God is Omniscient, He possesses Divine Foreknowledge. He knows how everything is going to play out, He knows the choices of every person that has ever lived and we can rest and trust in this knowledge.

Forever Powerful

Not only does God know how all things are going to work out, but He is Omnipotent. In other words He is all powerful, just as he executed His will at creation, so does he do throughout the expanse of time as we know it. It is this omnipotence that we find in v. 11.

What is it in verse 11 that we see God doing? Working

What are some examples of God exercising His power in history

God revealed His power in Egypt

What about Healing the sick or raising the dead.

Side note, A god who is not all knowing and all powerful cannot possibly answer a single prayer.

Isaiah 43:13 “Yea, before the day was I am he; And there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?”

Because of God’s Omnipotence and Sovereign we can trust that He is and is going to work all things together for good. His will shall be done because He has the means to make it happen.

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Forever Holy

Finally we can trust God because He is holy.

Do you know what it means to be Holy?

We say it all the time He is Holy, He is Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty, but what does this mean and more specifically what does this mean for us as believers?

God’s holiness is the complete perfection of his attributes such as goodness and righteousness:

God is perfectly righteous in the fact that He is infallible. He is incapable of making the wrong choice or sinning. Psalms 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”

God is perfectly good in the fact that he desires that no one should perish, but that all should come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9 d

As believers this means that we can trust God. We can trust that we have salvation, and we can trust that we have an inheritance in Him. This is why Paul hammers this matter so many times in this first chapter. He wants you to know and trust that God is going to complete His will as promised.

Interestingly enough :

Paul speaks of the heavenly places that we receive as so resolute that it is if he is already in the heavenlies- McArthur.

Paul speaks this way and you can too.

Legacy of His Richness:

Ephesians 1:12 “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

As we come to the final verse of our discussion today, one thought continues to ring in my ear. This thought rings to the tune of impact. The heroes of the faith, the disciples, those who first trusted in Christ, through Christ, by faith have created this amazing, undeniable impact. This impact has reached across the ages, that God’s desire “that all should come to know Him” would be complete. It is this impact, or legacy that reaches us right here and right now. In this verse we see a legacy of the richness of Christ.

Our Purpose

This legacy is not just for the disciples, it is for all believers and as part of this legacy we find purpose. We find purpose in the fact that we too should be to the glory of God.

Can I ask today, has this legacy of His Richness stopped at you?

A legacy is something that is passed down, something that is passed on

Do your children see this legacy?

Do your coworkers see this legacy?

When’s the last time you shared your faith that is so precious to you?

This is our purpose, this is what brings God glory.

His Praise

Secondly, this purpose is fulfilled when another person decides to trust in Christ. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Because of this, it is at this verse that Paul erupts into praise. This praise is reminiscent of the parable of the lost coin and the lost sheep.

Parable of the lost coin Luke 15:8-10 “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

and lost sheep Luke 15:1-7 “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

Precaution- Close

Finally, Id like to leave you with a final word- precaution.

Irwin Lutzer states:

“Although entrance to heaven is a free gift, the extent of our riches or inheritance will be determined by our lives here on earth.”

This thought is best illustrated through Jesus’ parable regarding the talents.

The parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30 b

The kingdom of heaven is like this:

A man is travelling to a far country and has entrusted his three servants with his property;

To one he gave 5 talents- This servant traded them and made 5 talents more

To another he gave 2 talents- This servant did the same with the same results

To another he gave 1 talent- This servant dug a hole in the ground and hid his masters money.

The first two receive praise as good and faithful servants, but the last was considered worthless.

While this parable has many implications, just as these servants, Believer you have been intrusted with the legacy of the Riches of Christ!

What does your legacy look like?

Are you as the first two or the last?

Praise team please come up, this alter is open today.

Matthew 5:14–16 KJV 1900

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.