Part 4 - 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
The Riches of God’s Grace
Introdução
Ephesians 1:1–3 (NKJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 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,
Too many Christians have never “read their Bank Statement of Heaven (The Bible)” to find out the vast spiritual wealth that God has put to their account through Jesus Christ.
Read the Bible and We discovered that we were “born rich” when we trusted Christ.
But this is not enough, for we must grow in our understanding of our riches if we are ever going to use them to the glory of God.
They are like the late newspaper publisher, William Randolph Hearst, who invested a fortune collecting art treasures from around the world. One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items that he felt he must own, so he sent his agent abroad to find them. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally found the treasures. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned!
Had he read the catalog of his treasures, he would have saved himself a great deal of money and trouble.
Paul desired the Ephesian Christians to understand what great wealth they had in Christ.
God's great gifts, His salvation, and His blessings cannot be found just anywhere.
Paul reveals the location of all the riches of the Almighty.
He tells us where God's blessings are found.
look at the first part of verse 11
Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
God's blessings are found in a person
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance
God opens the treasure doors of heaven to share His blessings with a select group of people.
"Those who are in Him. (Jesus)”
God's blessings are found in a faith relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
(It's not with Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, Krishna, etc.)
But listen to one thing.
Everyone in the world, both the saved and the lost, enjoys some of God's blessings:
Air, water, food, life, the world, etc., are blessings from God that He gives to ALL Mankind.
Jesus himself reminds us that "he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and makes it rain on the just and the unjust", Matthew 5:45.
These common blessings end at the door of salvation.
Paul is not talking about common blessings, he is talking about an inheritance.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance
The best blessings are reserved for a special group of people! God's Children.
Those who come to Jesus by faith become partakers, heirs (eirs), of God's best blessings!
When we trust in Jesus Christ we are saved, redeemed, we are adopted into his family.
Our sins are forgiven.
We are given a home in Heaven.
Our lives are transformed and we become new creatures.
Our heavenly Father promises to remain with us, meet all our needs, love us, and bless us.
When we come to the Son, we receive everything that belongs to the Father.
See what Rom.8:17 says:
Romans 8:17 (NKJV)
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Having Jesus puts us in a place of blessing!
Now I want to call your attention to verse 13
because Paul talks about the way God put us in Christ.
Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV)
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Paul tells us that we must “trust” in Jesus, after having heard “the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation.”
When the Gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the lost sinner and draws them to Jesus. When that sinner responds by looking to Jesus by faith salvation is the result.
My friend, if you want to miss Hell and go to Heaven; if you want to enjoy the great blessings of our Lord; if you want all that God has to offer in Jesus, you must do it God’s way.
Let me tell you what you need to do.
You must believe the Gospel. What is the Gospel?
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Not only must you hear the Gospel, you must believe it.
If you can believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again from the dead, you can be saved by trusting what He did at Calvary.
If you will trust Him, He will save you! Here is His promise,
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Have you believed the Gospel?
Them, When a sinner believes in Jesus and is saved, verse 13 says that they are "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,".
The Seal of The Holy Spirit —
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
When Paul says we are sealed, he is referring to the ancient practice of sealing letters or other official documents with a wax seal.
Hot wax was placed on the document and a signet ring pressed into the wax. The sealed document carried the authority of the person who owned the seal.
The expression, "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise“ is very suggestive of what God does in the lives of His children when He saves and seals them.
The seal of God’s Spirit in a believer’s life signifies at least four great truths.
• It Signifies Security—When an ancient king placed his seal on something it represented a decree that was secure and unchangeable.
When Daniel was placed in the lion’s den, a seal was placed on the door so that no one would dare try to change his fate, Dan. 6:17.
When Jesus died they sealed His tomb to prevent the disciples from coming to move His body, Matt. 27:66.
When God saves a soul, the Spirit of God moves in and takes up residence in that new believer, Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19–20.
When He comes in He sets His seal on the believer and promises us eternal security in Jesus.
The seal of an earthly ruler might be broken, but the eternal seal of God upon a believer’s heart will never be broken or removed.
(Ill. 1 Pet. 1:5; John 10:28; John 6:37–40)
• It Signifies Authenticity—The seal of an ancient king testified to the authenticity of the document to which it was attached.
In 1 Kings 17:8–14, Jezebel forged letters in the name of Ahab commanding the men of Naboth’s village to have him put to death. The letter was filled with lies, but since they bore the King’s seal, they were authentic and they were accepted and carried out by the elders of that village.
When God saves a soul, the presence of the Holy Spirit in that life declares the authenticity of that believer.
The presence of the Spirit says, “This life is mine and they are a citizen of my Kingdom.” When the Spirit of God is in you, there will be an authenticity about your life that will be missing otherwise, Ill. Acts 4:13 “13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
• It Signifies Authority—The seal of an ancient king carried great authority. When the king made a decree and sealed it, it was done, unchangeable.
When Haman convinced King Ahasuerus to make a decree that the Jews could be killed, Queen Esther was distressed because she knew that the decree was unchangeable. Even after Haman was hanged, the decree was still in force, Esther 8:8–12.
When God saves and seals a soul, He gives that new believer divine authority. He gives them authority to serve Him in the world.
He gives them authority to preach, teach, witness, work and serve Him in the world.
When God saved you He sent into the world to serve Him as His ambassador, Eph. 6:20.
You have His authority to labor in His field. He has sealed you for that purpose.
• It Signifies Ownership—The seal of an ancient ruler declared absolute ownership.
When King Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah, Jeremiah was commanded by the Lord to purchase a piece of property. The transaction was agreed upon, the price was paid and the required number of witnessed watched as Jeremiah became the rightful owner of the property. The seal marked it as his, Jeremiah 32:10 “10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.”
When the Lord saves a soul, He marks that soul as His personal possession.
The seal of the Holy Spirit on a life declares that the saved person is God property.
His seal lets us know that the transaction of salvation is complete and forever final!
(Note: When a container is shipped and heads off for delivery, that container door is sealed that seal declares that the load within matches what is declared on the bill of lading. The seal testifies to the correctness of the contents within. That seal say, “What is in this container cannot be changed.” A broken seal signals trouble.
When God saved you He sealed you. His seal says that you are His and the contents of your soul have been authenticated. His seal declares that what is inside of you cannot be changed. You are His and that can never be undone!)
Now, look at verse 14
Ephesians 1:14 (NKJV)
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Paul tells us that the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives is “the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession .
In verse 13 The Holy Spirit is also called “the Spirit of promise”.
The word “guarantee” refers to “earnest money that is given in a purchase a down payment which guarantees that the balance will be paid.”
If you have ever purchase a house you know what I am talking about.
You gave them some earnest money as your promise that you would pay the rest.
When you signed the offer contract, you were promising them that you were good for the rest of the money.
The Holy Spirit is God’s earnest deposit to guarantee to His children that He will finish His work and eventually bring them to glory.
The “redemption of the purchased possession” refers to the redemption of the body at the return of Christ (Rom. 8:18–23; 1 John 3:1–3). “Redemption” is experienced in three stages:
• We have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7).
• We are being redeemed as the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ (Rom. 8:1–4).
• We shall be redeemed when Christ returns and we become like Him.
But the word translated guarantee also means “engagement ring.” In Greece today you would find this word being used that way. But, after all, isn’t an engagement ring an assurance—a guarantee—that the promises made will be kept?
Ill. (when I gave Andrea an engagement ring)
Our relationship to God through Christ is not simply a commercial one, but also a personal experience of love.
He is the Bridegroom and His church is the bride.
We know that He will come and claim His bride because He has given us His promise and His Spirit as the “engagement ring.”
What greater assurance could we want?
Conclusion:
We have examined a number of basic Bible doctrines in this chapter, all on the theme of our riches in Christ. It would be profitable for us to review what these verses teach us.
1. True riches come from God.
1. True riches come from God.
It is a source of great encouragement to know that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all working on my behalf to make me rich. God not only gives us “richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), but He gives us eternal riches without which all other wealth is valueless.
Ilus.
A distraught wife sought out a Christian marriage counselor and told her sad story of a marriage about to dissolve. “But we have so much!” she kept saying. “Look at this diamond ring on my finger. Why, it’s worth thousands! We have an expensive mansion in an exclusive area. We have three luxury cars, and even a summer house. Why, we have everything money can buy!”
The counselor replied: “It’s good to have the things money can buy provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy. What good is an expensive house if there’s no home? Or an expensive ring if there’s no love?”
In Christ, you and I have “what money can’t buy,” and these spiritual riches open up to us all the wealth of God’s vast creation. We enjoy the gifts because we know and love the Giver.
True riches come from God
2. All of these riches come by God’s grace and for God’s glory.
2. All of these riches come by God’s grace and for God’s glory.
Did you notice that after each of the main sections in Ephesians 1:4–14, Paul has added the purpose behind these gifts?
Why has God the Father chosen us, adopted us, and accepted us?
“To the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6).
Why has the Son redeemed us, forgiven us, revealed God’s will to us, and made us part of God’s inheritance?
“That we should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12).
Why has God the Spirit sealed us and become the guarantee of our future blessing?
“to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14).
We often have the idea that God saves sinners mainly because He pities them, or wants to rescue them from eternal judgment, but God’s main purpose is that He might be glorified.
His creation reveals His wisdom and power, but His church reveals His love and grace.
You cannot deserve or earn these spiritual riches; you can only receive them by grace, through faith.
3. These riches are only the beginning!
3. These riches are only the beginning!
There is always more spiritual wealth to claim from the Lord as we walk with Him.
The Bible is our guidebook; the Holy Spirit is our Teacher.
As we search the Word of God, we discover more and more of the riches we have in Christ.
These riches were planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, and presented by the Spirit.
There is really no need for us to live in poverty when all of God’s wealth is at our disposal!
Oh, it’s so wonderful what we have in the Lord Jesus. We were chosen by God the Father, we were redeemed by God the Son, and we are sealed by God the Holy Spirit.
Thank God for the Father who chose us, for the Son who redeemed us, for the Holy Spirit, the engagement ring, that we have in our hearts right now.
I know there are some here today who already understand a little of what we have in Jesus.
You must prostrate yourself before Him and give thanks!
You need to Serve the Lord. One day, you will be held accountable for not appreciating God's gifts in your life.
There are some here who have never trusted Jesus for salvation. Have you believed the Gospel?
You need to come to Jesus.
You have heard the Gospel, now is the time to believe in it and be saved from your sins.
Be baptized. Give your public testimony of faith in Jesus
Let us praise our God for His grace and the wonderful blessings He gives us in Jesus Christ.
He is a wonderful Lord and is worthy of our gratitude.
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