Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Spiritual Blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14, pg. 976) Introduction This morning we return to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. If you are using the Pew Bible you will find our text on page 976. There is a line of thinking in worship service planning that suggests it is best to share the Word through preaching first, that the rest of the service should be in response to God’s Word. This would certainly have been appropriate for this morning’s text, as Paul exclaims with exuberant praise for the God who has saved him, whom he serves. And I believe our response should be like Paul’s, simply in awe at the God who loves us so much and whom we also are called to serve. In the ESV, we find this passage to be (5) five sentences, yet in the original Greek, Paul expresses his thoughts in a single overflowing sentence, overflowing with praise for God, overflowing with descriptions of what has been done for us. We will examine this text twice, once with the Godhead in mind, and then again with the spiritual blessings we have been given. As we read through the first time, try to note the references to each person of the Godhead: God the Father, Lord Jesus the Chosen One (in or through Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (or references to the spiritual). Not the purpose and reasons for the actions of each. As Paul’s use of he/him can be confusing, I will try to identify each of the pronouns used. Doxology / Glory to God 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he [FATHER] chose us in him [JESUS] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him [JESUS]. In love 5 he [FATHER] predestined us for adoption to himself [FATHER] as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his [FATHER’S] will, 6 to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glorious grace, with which he [FATHER] has blessed us in the Beloved [JESUS]. 7 In him [JESUS] we have redemption through his [JESUS’] blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his [FATHER’S] grace, 8 which he [FATHER] lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his [FATHER] will, according to his [FATHER’S] purpose, which he [FATHER] set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him [JESUS], things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him [JESUS] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him [FATHER] who works all things according to the counsel of his [FATHER’S] will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glory. 13 In him [JESUS] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him [JESUS], were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glory. God the Father (3-6) PURPOSE God the Father is the originator of all things, and all things happen to bring glory to the Father. Consider everything that he does in this passage: Blessed us Chose us Make us holy Predestined us Adopted [us] Blessed us in Jesus Redeemed us Forgives us Lavishes us Reveals to us Unites all things Gives us an inherit. Works all things Will Seals us w/ H Spirit In almost all these activities and decisions, we are the recipient. We are the ones who are blessed, who benefit from God’s decision to act. Furthermore, these decisions were made prior to the foundation of the earth. God the Son (6-10) REDEMPTION Jesus is the conduit, the agent, that the Father chooses to bless us. Consider the number and nature of references to the Lord Jesus Christ: • Blessed IN Christ • Chose us IN Him • Through Jesus Christ • In the Beloved [Jesus] • In him [Jesus] we have redemption • Through His [Jesus] blood • Set forth in Christ • Unit all thing in him [Jesus] • In him [Jesus] inheritance obtained • Hope in Christ • In him [Jesus], Believed in him [Jesus] sealed Not only is Jesus the Father’s Chosen agent, but according to the Father, Jesus is our positional location. We are IN Christ/Jesus. We are redeemed because the Father sees us IN Jesus. Our redemption through Jesus means the Father has accepted Jesus’ payment for our sins. We have been through the blood of Jesus. We are in the righteousness of Jesus. Our hope is IN Christ. If we are IN Jesus, we have been sealed by the Spirit. God the Holy Spirit (11-14) DOWN PAYMENT Literally, He is the “Holy Spirit of Promise”1. He is also God’s ‘seal,’ his mark on us, much as a letter might be sealed, or cattle and slaves might be branded, marking ownership. In other words, the Holy Spirit in us is evidence that we belong to God, and not ourselves or someone else, but God alone. The Holy Spirit also acts as a guarantee, much like a deposit on a car or house, payment in good faith, a promise that the rest will come later. In other words, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is only a small foretaste of the spiritual inheritance we will receive when Jesus returns, and the Father unifies all things in Him. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of God’s eternal presence in our lives. The Holy Spirit is conveyer of our spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Spiritual Blessings Understanding that Paul is seeking to help his readers understand the God of Glory and why he is worthy of praise, we are going to look at this passage again. This time we are going to tease out the “spiritual blessings in the heavenly places” with which we have been blessed. Note we have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing, though we might not recognize or grasp them all. Blessing 1 (4-6) PREDESTINATION 4 even as he [FATHER] chose us in him [JESUS] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him [FATHER]. In love 5 he [FATHER] predestined us for adoption to himself [FATHER] as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his [FATHER’S] will, 6 to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glorious grace, with which he [FATHER] has blessed us in the Beloved [JESUS]. We have been chosen, even predestined, before the foundation of the world, to be forever in the presence of God the Father. While we have the freedom to accept or reject Jesus sacrifice for our sins, all that was necessary was begun before we even existed. We had done nothing the deserve to be chosen, it is simply out of God’s divine love. All we can do is humbly accept God’s decision. Notice Paul’s language throughout the passage is in the plural, we and us. Clearly this salvation is for us individually, as we each are saved from our sins, yet, we have been saved corporately, as a body, as a church. Why have we been chosen and predestined? For God’s purposes and God’s glory!! Blessing 2 (7-8) REDEMPTION 7 In him [JESUS] we have redemption through his [JESUS’] blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his [FATHER’S] grace, 8 which he [FATHER] lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight Redemption: the payment debt owed. In the OT, people became slaves when they could no longer pay off their debts. When the debts were paid, they were freed. Once example of this would be Boaz redeeming the land which belonged to Naomi and Ruth. Redemption for our purposes relates to the infinite, eternal debt we owed for sinning, for rebelling against our Creator. Our blessing comes through this redemption through Jesus’ blood sacrifice on our behalf. Notice that this sacrifice is lavished on us. The term lavished means to exceed, to surpass the need. God’s grace of mercy and redemption far exceeds our trespass against God. Blessing 3 (9-10) REVELATION 9 making known to us the mystery of his [FATHER] will, according to his [FATHER’S] purpose, which he [FATHER] set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him [JESUS], things in heaven and things on earth. God’s blessings do not end there, but God goes further in revealing to us what he is doing. In the past, God’s purposes and will had been a mystery, but now, as adopted sons and daughters of the GREAT I AM, we have become privy to the Father’s intentions. Former rebels, we are now recipients of the Father’s plans to bring unity, to unite Jews and Gentiles, to bring everything under the Lordship of Jesus. Blessing 4 (11-12) INHERITANCE 11 In him [JESUS] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him [FATHER] who works all things according to the counsel of his [FATHER’S] will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glory. We receive this blessing of INHERITANCE because God wanted us to receive it, not because we earned or deserved it. Our receipt of this blessing, or any blessing, is not solely for our benefit, but ultimately for God’s glory. God receives glory because we are recipients of His grace and mercy, when we are adopted as his children, and are lavished on by his blessings of eternal inheritance, which is the privilege of being forever in his presence. Blessing 5 (13-14) SEALED BY THE SPIRIT 13 In him [JESUS] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him [JESUS], were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his [FATHER’S] glory. What is our inheritance going to look like? As I mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit is the seal, the promise, the deposit of things to come. Yet, the presence of the Holy Spirit is more than simply evidence that God will keep His word. The presence of the Holy Spirit is that of God Himself to help us and guide us, make it possible for us to be holy and blameless in his presence, until that time when we live the very presence of God. And once again, the Holy Spirit is present in our lives, to bring God glory. Living It Out Our response to all of this should be worship, service of our God and King. We have been chosen and cared for eternity past and eternity future. We deserve none of this. We need to live as a purchased people, who know their future and inheritance because they belong to God Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. It is response to what God has done that we live lives of obedience and good works. We need to live lives of gratitude, making much of the God who has saved us, making much of His Son, Jesus, through whom and in whom He has saved us. We need to live lives that reflect that nature of the One who redeemed us. Hymn: 111—Grace Greater Than Our Sin (vs 1—3)