IN CHRIST: Every Spiritual Blessing
EPHESIANS • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.
INTRO—
INTRO—
When I was a kid, I had a bucket. it was about the 3-ish gallon size…and it was full of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. Almost literally full at one point! From time to time I’d just dump the whole bucket on my bed or bedroom floor and just sift through the treasure trove of cool cars and trucks! They were soooo cool! I only wish I had them now. Who knows what some of them might be worth.
Treasures…Blessings are treasures. “Spiritual blessings in the heavens in Christ”…well, that seems to me to be the best of all treasures. This is especially true for a guy who was in prison for his faith writing to Christians living in a city and region teeming with wealth and false religion—as was the case for Ephesus.
So, Paul opens his letter to these believers with a trinitarian chorus celebrating the magnificent spiritual blessings we have from God: The Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the FATHER [Ephesians 1.3-6]
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the FATHER [Ephesians 1.3-6]
CHOSEN (1.4-5a) [choose, select]
God did this!
He chose us so that we could be made holy & blameless—as his people.
Ephesians 5:27 “He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.”
ADOPTED (1.5-6) [adopt, place]
God did this!
Romans 8:15–17 “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the SON [Ephesians 1.7-12]
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the SON [Ephesians 1.7-12]
REDEEMED (1.7a) [set free, release]
God did this!
Romans 3:23–24 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 1:14 “In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
FORGIVEN (1.7b) [pardon, dismiss]
God did this!
[Colossians 1:14 “In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”]
Matthew 26:27–28 “Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
ENLIGHTENED (1.8-10) [“made known;” reveal, make aware]
God did this!
Colossians 1:27 “God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
ENRICHED (1.11-12) [“inheritance;” been allotted to, received an allotment]
God did this!
Colossians 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.”
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the SPIRIT [Ephesians 1.13-14]
SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS from the SPIRIT [Ephesians 1.13-14]
SEALED (1.13) [mark, set under seal, secured, authenticated]
God did this!
Ephesians 4:30 “And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.”
2 Corinthians 1:22 “He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.”
[John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”]
PLEDGE (1.14) [“down payment;” first installment, deposit]
God did this!
[2 Corinthians 1:22 “He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.”]
2 Corinthians 5:5 “Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.”
[2 Corinthians 5:1–6 “For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.”]
CONCL—
CONCL—
Question—Did you hear the refrain included in each section of Paul’s presentation of our spiritual blessings in the heavens?
Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.”
Ephesians 1:12 “so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.”
Ephesians 1:14 “The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”
These blessings moved Paul to praise…which led to PRAYER
PRAYER RESPONSE [Ephesians 1.15-23]
[Just reading Paul’s prayer encouragement…]
“Giving thanks…give you the spirit of wisdom…revelation in knowledge of him…MAY BE ENLIGHTENED…know hope…wealth of his inheritance…and the immeasurable greatness of his power—in Christ…raising him from the dead…seating him at his right hand…far above…subject everything under his feet…appointed him as head over everything for the church!”
INVITATION:
Salvation
Enlightenment
Praise & Prayer
which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.