Part 2- The Blessings That Make Up Our Spiritual Wealth
The Riches of God’s Grace • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Riches of God's Grace
Ephesians 1
We are still at the gateway to the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians was written to teach us everything about who we are in Jesus Christ. What we have because of our relationship with Jesus. And how to use what He has given us for the glory of God.
We are learning about the Riches of God's Grace -
Today we will continue the message:
"The Blessings That Make Up Our Spiritual Wealth” - Part 2
Starting at verse 3 and going through verse 14, we have the longest sentence in the GK Bible.
Paul sings praises to God for the wonderful spiritual blessings we receive when we enter into a relationship with Christ.
Last week we saw In verses 3-6, Paul revealed the blessings of God the Father:
He Chose us, Predestined, Adopted and Accepted us. (Last week's theme)
Today we will take a look at verses 7-10, where Paul describes the blessings of God the Son.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Look how wonderful this is: The longest sentence in the Bible, Ephesians 1:3-14; is about “The Blessings That Make Up Our Spiritual Wealth”.
Right at the entrance to the letter, Paul begins to teach us everything about who we are in Jesus Christ. What we have because of our relationship with Him.
The first thing he tells us is about the
I. Blessings from God the Father (Ephesians 1:4-6) A. The Father Chose Us - v.4 B. The Father Predestined Us - v.5 C. The Father Adopted Us - v.5 D. The Father Accepted Us - v.6
I. Blessings from God the Father (Ephesians 1:4-6) A. The Father Chose Us - v.4 B. The Father Predestined Us - v.5 C. The Father Adopted Us - v.5 D. The Father Accepted Us - v.6
II. Blessings from God the Son (Ephesians 1:7-12)
II. Blessings from God the Son (Ephesians 1:7-12)
A. The Son Redeemed Us
A. The Son Redeemed Us
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Redemption is one of the central themes of the Bible.
The term "redemption" refers to the act of rescuing or freeing something or someone; especially one that demanded payment.
The idea of redemption was common in the ancient world.
In the Roman Empire, during Paul's time, there were about 60 million slaves. Buying and selling these slaves was big business. In fact, it was not uncommon for a family member or friend to seek the freeing of a slave they liked.
For this to happen, the individual had to purchase the slave for themselves and then grant that slave their freedom.
Whoever freed the slave had to give him a certificate declaring that he had been redeemed and freed from slavery. This document was proof that the former slave was now free.
It is important to highlight that the Bible says
Every person born into this world since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden is a slave.
Nobody is free. No one is free from sin or its consequences.
We inherit sinful DNA from our parents Psalm 51:5 “5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
Every person born into this world since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden is a slave.
Every person born into this world as a slave to sin faces the same fate.
We are all destined to die,
Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ezekiel 18:4 “4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.”
Death is the final consequence of our slavery to sin.
Every person in this world is a sinner by birth, Romans 3:10“10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;”
Romans 3:23“23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
We are sinners by nature and we are sinners by choice.
According to Jesus, because we are sinners, we are also slaves to our sin: John 8:34 “34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
In verse 7 Paul says that in him (Christ) we have “redemption”.
This means that those who are saved have been freed from slavery. Aleluia!
Now, Redemption came at a very high price.
Death was the price that had to be paid for man's redemption.
It was the price Jesus paid when he went to the cross to free us from our sins.
Jesus gave himself up, the innocent for the guilty, so that the guilty could be set free.
As I said before, redemption is one of the central themes of the Bible. See how the New Testament describes what Jesus did for us.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Peter described this way:
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
The price was Jesus own blood - the blood of God
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
9 And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
That means we are free!
When Jesus redeemed us, He not only paid the price of our redemption, but also removed us from the sales market forever.
As a result, He bought us. He owns us, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, and He will never allow us to be enslaved or sold into sin again!
We are free from the bondage of the Law (Gal 5:1), we are free from the bondage of sin (Rom 6), as well as free from the power of Satan and the world (Gal 1:4; Col 1:13-14).
In Christ we are Free because He Redeemed us!
B. The Son Forgave Us
B. The Son Forgave Us
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Paul links the forgiveness of sins to redemption, writing, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (v. 7).
But although redemption and forgiveness are closely linked, the forgiveness of sins is something different from redemption.
Redemption means being freed from the power of sin so that it no longer dominates us.
Forgiveness means that God has completely wiped our slate clean.
The Bible seems to go to great lengths to magnify the wonder of this forgiveness.
David wrote in Psalm 32:1–2
1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Jeremiah
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Apostle John
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Apostle Paul
7 “Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin! Hallelujah!
God will never, ever, never impute sin to one of his children!
Romans 4:7-8 needs to be read in conjunction with Hebrews 12:5
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
Listen friend, God will never, ever, never impute sin to one of His children!
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
If I am in Christ I am free from condemnation; of eternal death, of hell.
If I am in Christ I have been redeemed, bought and freed, God will never take us back to the slave market.
God will never charge you the wages of sin, because Jesus has already paid!
Some people ask, “What if you sin after being saved? Don’t you lose your salvation?”
Friend, do you believe there is anyone who has not sinned after being saved?
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Dear friend, when you understand what the Bible's definition of sin is, you give up wanting to be the "4th Person of the Holy Trinity" - Trusting yourself for your salvation.
Let me show you just 2 passages so you can understand the Bible’s definition of sin.
17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Q: How many times have you, after being saved, committed this sin of knowing and not doing?
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Q: How many things have you done after being saved, that were not by faith?
Each of us, if we are honest, needs to confess that we have “failed in some way.”
Listen friend, I am not trying to make light of sin. Sin weakens our relationship with God, sin opens gaps for the devil.
The sin gives the enemy legality to attack us, rob us, devour our finances, etc.
Sin silences our testimony…
and worst of all: sin breaks our intimacy with the Lord, cools our love, extinguishes our flame of the Spirit, takes away our peace and our appetite for the things of God...
Sin has horrible consequences…
Therefore, we must walk in righteousness, obedience and confess our sin to walk in communion with the Lord and with our brothers.
But put this in your heart:
Ephesians 1:7
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV84)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
……in accordance with the riches of God’s grace"
When Jesus shed His blood, He forever solved the problem of sin for all who believed in Him.
14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
“14 because by the one sacrifice he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
Jesus died for our sin and God is satisfied forever.
When sinners come to Jesus for salvation, there is nothing left to pay.
Jesus paid everything and lost sinners receive new life, forgiveness of sins, and redemption, all at no cost to the sinner.
And if a man perish, it is not because he was predestined to go to hell; It's because he didn't want to believe in Jesus for his salvation Jesus said.
John 3:17–19
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
In fact there is only one sin that you must not commit ever: "not believing in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God" -
This is "The Sin" that takes a person to hell.
And whoever says he believes also obeys his commandments.
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
John 10:27–28 “27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
Come to Him and He will save your soul and give you eternal life and forgiveness of sins.
C. The Son Gave us Enlightenment
C. The Son Gave us Enlightenment
Ephesians 1:8–9 (NIV84)
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
"he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will”
When the Bible refers to "the mystery of his will, it is talking about “a truth once hidden but now revealed.”
When it comes to God, mysteries fall into three main categories.
1. First, there are mysteries which no one but God has ever known or will know.
These are divine secrets that God does not reveal to anyone, anywhere, at any time, Dt. 29:29
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
2. The second type of mystery includes things that are hidden from most people but are revealed to a select few.
Ex.: All men know something about God, Romans 1:19–20 “19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Psalm 19:1–2“1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”
The word of God is in the heavens - but they do not understand the deeper truths about His Word and His nature.
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
They cannot know these things because they do not have the Holy Spirit to help them regarding God's truths.
The redeemed, on the other hand, understand these truths and know more about God than lost people ever can.
3. A third type of mystery revolves around the truth that was hidden for a time and then revealed to God's people.
The church is the only institution on earth that really knows what is happening to the world.
You see, God didn't create this world on a whim, a fantasy, or someone's hunch.
And He didn't create it and wind it up and then abandon it and let it run by itself.
There is a purpose to the story, and Jesus is the cornerstone of the story.
"the history of the world is His history." God has a plan.
God's plan concerns us, but it is centered on the Lord Jesus Christ.
God will bring - one day - He will bring it all together. People say, "Where will the world end?" Friend, he will end up at the feet of Jesus.
Look, verse 10:
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Our world is falling apart.
Bad news keeps coming from all over the world.
Diseases, Wars: Israelis x Palestinians; Russians x Ukrainians; school shootings, children shooting children - … violence is unchecked. Injustice is in every court of the land. The people are dissatisfied with their rulers, in Europe, America, etc.)
And who knows what will happen to this powder keg called the Middle East.
And it seems like the planet is getting smaller and smaller.
An astronomical amount of money being used for weaponry.
Millions and even billions of people will go to bed tonight hungry, without enough food in their bellies.
There is a global immigration crisis! People are suffering in their home countries and risking their lives at sea and in the desert in search of a better place for their families.
“Our world has become a swamp of discontent, where the mosquitoes of hate - are breeding by the millions.”
What will happen?
my dear friend, if you did not know the Lord Jesus Christ, you would have every reason to be pessimistic.
But I want to tell you what the Bible says: there will come a time when the whole world will be in tune with the Lord Jesus Christ.
See again: Ephesians 1:10 “10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
A time is coming, a day is coming when the material and the spiritual will be perfectly blended.
The time is coming when heaven and earth will be in perfect union and communion.
The time is coming when man and God will be perfectly in union and communion.
The time is coming when man and man will be at perfect peace.
The time will come when man and animals will live in harmony,
and the time will come when the animals will live together and the lamb and the lion will lie down together .
And Habakkuk 2:14 “14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
When is it going to happen?
"In the dispensation of the fulness of times" (Ephesians 1:10), when the Lord Jesus Christ is on the throne.
When all things are brought to Jesus and when all things are reconciled to the Lord Jesus Christ, then all things on earth will be reconciled to one another just as they are in heaven.
\When we are in tune with Jesus, then we will finally be in tune with each other.
He gave us Enlightenment about these things.
One day God will reveal that Jesus Christ is the head of all things for all people.
The world ignores Him today. The world acts as if He is not important.
The world refuses to bow down to Him, to worship Him, to obey Him, or to love Him.
This world seems to be out of control, but that's just the appearance of things.
Our God is in control, and when the time is right, He will demonstrate His power through His Son, the Lord Jesus.
Here's the wonder of it all: God chose us to be part of his plan.
He has a plan to exalt His Son and He has allowed us to be a part of that plan!
He placed us in Jesus by grace through faith. He has blessed us in Jesus with every spiritual blessing. He promised to keep us, use us, and allow us to reign with Christ one day, 2 Timothy 2:12. These things make him worthy of our praise!
Conc:
God blessed us! In Christ, we are rich people. All spiritual blessings are ours in Him! These truths should cause us to bow before Him in absolute submission. These truths should lead us to worship, praise, and honor Him for His grace and His gifts.
In Christ, you and I have "what money cannot buy," and these spiritual riches open up to us the full riches of God's vast creation. We enjoy gifts because we know and love the Giver.
All these riches come by the grace of God and to the glory of God.
If you are in Jesus, are you giving Him the obedience, reverence, love, worship, and praise th
at He desires and deserves? Are you doing your part to fulfill God’s plan to exalt Jesus Christ?
If you are unsaved and know you need to be redeemed, I want to invite you to come to Jesus for salvation today. If you will come to Him, He will forgive your sins, save your soul, and bless you beyond your wildest dreams. If He is calling, Come to Him!
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