The Gospel: Who We Are
The Gospel: Our Lifeblood • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:54
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· 115 viewsThis series tackles foundational issues about the gospel and the Christian life. What is the gospel? Why is the gospel important? How do I know if I’m saved? How does a person go from being dead in sins to being a citizen of God’s kingdom? What is our identity in Christ? How should we live now that we are children of God? Regardless of whether you’re a mature follower of Christ or an unbeliever, these are truths that, for the sake of eternity, you can’t live without.
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Our Identity
Our Identity
Who are we as believers? What is our identity? This is very important because of the accusations that come against us from Satan, from Godless scientists, and from those who think Christianity is just a religion.
We need to understand who we are in Christ. This passage addresses that very clearly. As we look in Ephesians 1:3-14, I want you to notice this little phrase “in Him.” He uses this phrase often, almost 40 times in the book of Ephesians. He uses this phrase almost 160 times throughout all his writings. This phrase is very important. Look in verse 3...
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, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 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, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Did you catch the richness of that passage.
Did you catch the richness of that passage? In eternity past, before time began, the Father did some work for the believer. In the present, in history, Jesus did some work for the believer. Then, in the future there is an inheritance, there is a promise, that the work or the person of the Holy Spirit is a part of. You see from eternity past to eternity future, the work of the great Triune God of the Bible: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is your God, Christian. If you have been born again, if you have been brought into the family of Christ, if you have been given the Holy Spirit, then your identity is radically different from what you used to be and who you used to be. Praise God that He has...
Made Us Rich in Christ (verse 3)
Made Us Rich in Christ (verse 3)
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,
Paul starts out with “blessed” or “Praise...” This is a praise report. The rest is a doxology. In the first 14 verses it’s one sentence in the original Greek language. Paul just hammers it out. I want you to see where our real wealth is...
Our wealth is in Christ.
Our wealth is in Christ.
Everything we have of eternal value is because of Christ. What Jesus has, we have! Life. Power. Relationship with God. Awesome future. Think about it...
We have every spiritual blessing there is!
We have every spiritual blessing there is!
Listen, in Christ you are rich beyond measure whether you realize it or not. It’s like having oil under your property. It’s your’s whether you know it’s there are not. It’s when you realize it’s there and you tap into it that you can fully realize its benefits. God has given us everything in Christ because of our union with Him. The next truth is is verse 4. It’s a deep one that we will not begin to fully understand on this side of heaven. God has...
Chosen Us In Christ (verse 4a)
Chosen Us In Christ (verse 4a)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
This is a deep truth that should not cause debate. It should cause delight. We will not get into the election debate today. Suffice it to say we will simply praise God for what the Bible says and you can take it from there.
We don’t understand the fullness of this. No theologian in this world can fully reconcile God’s sovereignty in salvation. God does whatever He does, and it’s man’s responsibility to trust Jesus.
We were chosen before the creation of the world.
We were chosen before the creation of the world.
Sometime in eternity past, before the garden of eden, before Adam and Eve, God had a plan for us. His plan involved Christ. We talked about that last week. Christ’s sacrificial atonement made possible for us to receive His righteousness. That brings us to the next point...
We are holy and blameless positionally, and we should be progressively.
We are holy and blameless positionally, and we should be progressively.
When you placed your trust in Christ, you were united with Him. When that happened, your position changed completely. You were justified. You were declared right before God, not on the basis of your righteousness, not on the basis of your good deeds, not on the basis of your holiness, but on the basis of the righteousness, the holiness, the perfection of Jesus. When you trusted Him, what was true of Him became true of you positionally.
However, then progressively, as a result of Christ living in you, as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, you will grow progressively in your sanctification, in your walk with God. You will. It is automatic. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, you will begin to live a holy life. You will begin to live a holy life. We are holy and blameless positionally, and we should be progressively if we have been justified. Your identity in Christ is right before Him. You are righteous. When He sees you, He sees Christ. You are free to be holy. Next truth...
Predestined Us In Love Through Christ (verse 4b-6)
Predestined Us In Love Through Christ (verse 4b-6)
Look at verses 4 through 6...
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Now before we go any further, we have to understand that the biblical doctrine of predestination is not the same as the doctrine of election.
This word, “predestination” happens five times in the New Testament. It is not a bad word. It is a good word. It is there. It is right there, and I don’t understand all the fullness of it. Nobody does, but here is what you need to know about it. Before you were born, God destined everyone who trusts in Christ would be adopted into His family, Christian, despite who you were, despite your sin, despite your rebellion against Him, despite your imperfections. It’s automatic. Here’s what happens…
We were predestined to be adopted.
We were predestined to be adopted.
The moment you trust Christ as your savior you are adopted into the family of God. That radically changes your identity Christian. You are in the family of God. Not because you were lovable or deserved it. Think about it. We are now children of the Heavenly Father, co-heirs with Christ, our identity is a child of God, and since...
Since the Father loves the Son He also loves us!
Since the Father loves the Son He also loves us!
Isn’t that awesome? Now the next truth, verses 7 and 8...
Redeemed Us In Christ (verse 7-8)
Redeemed Us In Christ (verse 7-8)
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
“In Him,” it says “we have”… already accomplished, we have “redemption”. Redemption is having the price of something paid. A ransom was paid to buy someone or something back. We were in bondage, and Jesus came along and paid the price to buy us back from bondage. Jesus accomplished that on the cross of Calvary. And because of that...
We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ!
We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ!
We are free from bondage. We are no longer in slavery to sin. We are no longer lost in sin. The price has been paid. Jesus bought us back. Not only that, but...
We have been forgiven through the blood of Christ!
We have been forgiven through the blood of Christ!
There is a clean slate. Sins washed away. It reminds me of when Katharine and I lived in Largo, FL. We lived close to the beach and many evenings would go take a walk along the beach to watch the sun set. We would walk along the sand on the edge of the water as the waves ebbed and flowed. On our way back, because the water washed in and washed back out to sea, our footprints would be gone. Not a single sign that we had been there. Completely washed away. Like where we had come from was gone. And like where we were going, we hadn’t been there yet. Praise God! We’ve been redeemed. Hallelujah! We’ve been forgiven. Next, verses 9 through 10. Praise God that He has...
Revealed To Us His Will In Christ (verse 9-10)
Revealed To Us His Will In Christ (verse 9-10)
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
The OT saints didn’t understand what Paul is about to teach in these verses. It goes on in chapter 2, chapter 4, you can read it when you get home. God is uniting Jew and Gentile together as one in His body, and this has been God’s plan from the very beginning.
Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
We are no longer defined by our race. We are no longer defined by our gender. We are defined by this: “In Christ”. This is who we are in Christ. And...
Christ will rule over a united people forever!
Christ will rule over a united people forever!
The prayer of Jesus in John 17 will be fulfilled.
When the church recognizes, when the people of God recognize who they really are, their true identity, they will be one. In the story of God, He...from the very beginning, it has way bigger than black or white. It is people from every tribe and tongue and nation. He is bringing them together in Christ. That is who you are. He has revealed His will in Christ and...
Given Us an Inheritance In Christ (verse 11-12)
Given Us an Inheritance In Christ (verse 11-12)
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, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Some of you never thought about inheritance this side of heaven because you might not get one, or not much. But we have an inheritance in Christ.
Your inheritance is ultimately this: That you get God; you know God. You have been reconciled to God and to His people. You get Christ. You know Him. He knows you, and one day, you will be with Him face to face. That is the inheritance, ultimately, and the blessings that flow from that.
It reminds me of the story of a family that was going from America to Europe, and they were flying over the Atlantic Ocean, and the mom is looking out the window of the plane, and she sees how beautiful it is. She says, “This is a great view. This is beautiful.” She looks at her six year old daughter, and she says “Sarah, this is a lot like heaven.” Sarah looks out the window with a great puzzled look on her face. She says, kind of disappointed, “Mommy, where is Jesus?” That is what makes heaven so glorious.
God works all things according to the counsel of His will.
God works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Get this, God wants you to inherit everything He has. He says it’s according to His will.
We have great hope in Christ!
We have great hope in Christ!
Where else do we have this kind of hope? Our hope is in Christ.
Sealed Us In Christ (verse 13-14)
Sealed Us In Christ (verse 13-14)
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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
And you thought it couldn’t get any better! Did you catch what Paul says in verse 13...
We are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
We are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
The will of God will be accomplished this verse says. You have great hope because God has given you the Spirit, which is the down payment of the inheritance that you will receive. He has sealed you.
Our possession of the Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance, our unity and our growth in holiness.
Our possession of the Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance, our unity and our growth in holiness.
Here is how you can know whether you have the Holy Spirit. Is there a measure of holiness in your life and are you progressively growing in that way? Oh, you can come to church and say, “Lord, Lord”. You could have grown up here and tithed and done a lot of things like that, but if you have been born again, if the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, there will be a difference in your life. If you claim to be in the light, and yet, you live habitually day by day in darkness, you are a liar, or you are greatly deceived. However, you don’t have to stay that way. Turn from your sin. Put your trust in Jesus today, and He will redeem you. He will save you. You can come into His family and everything can change.
Two ways you can know that you have the Holy Spirit: Love and holiness. However, if you have the Holy Spirit, your identity, sir, your identity, ma’am, is secure in Christ. Praise God that all of this is...
By grace alone!
By grace alone!
We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. This whole passage is full of grace. God lavished His grace upon us. It is by His grace alone. It is...
Through faith alone!
Through faith alone!
We are saved by grace through faith. Faith alone. Not of works, lest we could boast about earning ing.
In Christ alone!
In Christ alone!
There is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved, regardless of what the Dali Lama says. Christ is the only way. And praise God, this is...
Not just for us alone!
Not just for us alone!
Salvation is offered to the nations. Not just us in this room. Praise God, that this is...
For God’s glory alone!
For God’s glory alone!
There is no boasting on our part. This is by the grace of God. And praise God, our true identity is in Christ.