Taught 9/7/2008
Ephesians 1:4-7
Your riches in Christ ~ part 1
Open your Bible to…
Eph. 1:3 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,
Pray
Intro
√ Your riches in Christ!
I saw an older couple driving a convertible Jag the other day with a bumper sticker that read…
"I'm spending my children's inheritance"
Pretty funny, unless of course you’re the kids!
Ap. Our inheritance
Unlike the nice couple in the sports car Jesus has written us into His will and left us a huge inheritance!
Then He died so that the will would be activated.
Then He rose from the dead that He might take His place in Heaven as our Advocate (read “lawyer”) to make sure that the terms of the will are correctly followed!
In short, Jesus has done all that is necessary for us to inherit “every spiritual blessing” that Paul wrote of in vs. 3!
All we have to do to get in on it is to say “yes” to His invitation to become one of His children!
However, most of His kids don’t know that they’re rich!
Well, in our study this morning Paul builds on vs. 3 by highlighting some of the riches that we have inherited from Jesus!
Blessings from the Father (vs. 4-6)
Eph. 1:4 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,
Eph. 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
√ Blessings from the Father
As we look at the riches we have in Christ you’ll notice that Paul tells us that each Person in the Godhead contributes to our inheritance…
…he begins by telling us about the benefits we have received from the Father.
He chose us! (vs. 4)
“just as He (the Father) chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world…”
Our first benefit is that the Father chose us to receive all of His blessings in Christ!
The strange part is that He chose us before we existed!
Technically He chose us before the universe existed!
That stirs up a lot of theological debates (God’s sovereignty vs. Man’s free will) but the important truth is that our salvation…
…started with God!
That is, He is the initiator!
The truth revealed is that we weren’t looking for God, rather He came looking for us as the Bible declares…
Rom. 3:10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
Rom. 3:11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
And Jesus said…
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”
And…
Luke 19:10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The exciting truth revealed then is that because God chose us…
…He must want us!
Ap. He chose you because He wants you!
For some of us that’s the best news we’ve ever heard!
Some of you know what it’s like to not be wanted by anyone.
To be rejected by your parents, a spouse, or even your own children.
But here Paul tells us that the most important Person in all the universe, God Himself, wants you as His child and we know that’s true because He chose you…
…before He even created you!
That truth ought to put a smile on the most sour mug!
Should change our perspective in life and put a skip in our step!
What a wonderful truth that God wants me!
He adopted us! (vs. 5)
The 2nd benefit we’ve received from the Father is that He has adopted us…
“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself”
You may recall that Paul shared this same truth in his letter to the Galatians to help them understand the superiority of Grace over the Law.
He shares this truth with the Ephesians so that they might comprehend, and apprehend, our inheritance in Christ!
√ Adoption
Adoption has a duel meaning for the Christian, a present experience as well as a future promise!
The present ~ remember that we don’t get into God’s family by adoption, rather, we’re born-again into His family through regeneration when we ask Jesus into our heart.
So, when Paul speaks of our adoption he’s not talking about salvation…
…he’s telling us that God has given us adult legal standing so that we don’t have to wait until we’re spiritually mature, rather, we can immediately access and enjoy our spiritual inheritance!
The point is that even though we may be spiritual infants…
…we can, and should, claim our inheritance now!
The future ~ the 2nd part of our adoption is yet future and speaks of that time when we will receive the next installment of our inheritance…
…that is the redemption of our body!
Rom. 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Rom. 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
That is, our present adoption primarily benefits our spirit and soul and in that sense is not visible to others.
However, when Jesus Raptures the Church we will be transformed in the “twinkling of an eye”…
…and exchange these bodies of flesh and blood for a new body that is eternal and holy! (Ref. 1 Cor. 15).
That future adoption will be visible because the saints and angels of heaven will be able to see us in our new bodies…
…and those left on the earth at the end of the Tribulation will also see us when we return with Jesus to set up His kingdom on earth.
Ap. Our new body
Paul speaks about it at length in I Corinthians 15.
It is a body suited for eternity ~ it has material form (can touch it, feed it, see it with physical eyes, recognizable), yet has spiritual capabilities (stealth mode, bridge between the material and spiritual realms, immune to harm, disease, and sin!).
The best example is Jesus’ body after the Resurrection…
Could altar His appearance
Could appear and disappear
Able to pass through locked doors
He ate and had a material form that could be touched
He could fly!
I want a body like that! It’s better than any X-Man or Superman comic character I ever read about when I was a kid.
3) He accepted us (vs. 6)
Paul writes…
“…by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
His point is that none of us can make ourselves acceptable to God by our own strength or religious effort.
As Paul so eloquently demonstrates in Romans chapters 1-3 we are all guilty before God because we are born under the curse!
We have also inherited a sin-nature that makes us rebel against God and His righteous Laws.
Finally because we’re born in sin we are born separated from God.
But God, by His Grace has made us accepted in Christ!
That is, through God’s Grace we are…
…declared “not guilty” because Jesus paid our sin debt.
So now when the Father looks upon us He sees us as if we were Jesus!
Ap. Our eternal position
Just as we can’t do anything to make ourselves acceptable to God…
…neither can we do anything to remain acceptable before Him!
Your status before God doesn’t fluctuate with your obedience or disobedience because the Father always sees you “in Christ” and thereby accepted!
In a very real sense the Father already sees you perfected! That knowledge should lift any fear that you might have regarding God’s thoughts toward you!
Blessings from the Son (vs. 7-12)
Eph. 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Eph. 1:8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Eph. 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Eph. 1:10 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.
Eph. 1:11 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,
Eph. 1:12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
√ Blessings from the Son
Before we look at the riches that Jesus has given us let me just clarify that each member of the Godhead…
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
…do not work independently!
Rather God, who is One, works in harmony through His different manifestations but in special and unique ways through each Person of the Godhead.
For example…
God the Father provided the means to save you when He chose you in Christ in eternity past.
But that didn’t save you.
God the Son provided the sacrifice to save you when He died for you on the Cross.
But that didn’t save you.
God the Holy Spirit provided the knowledge to save you when He convicted you of your need for a Savior.
But that didn’t save you.
You were saved when you yielded to the conviction of God the Holy Spirit and surrendered your life to Jesus and then discovered that you were chosen by the Father.
So, each member of the Godhead plays a unique yet inseparable part in our salvation experience!
He redeemed us! (vs. 7a)
The first benefit, or blessing that Jesus gives us is that He has provided the price to redeem us from our sin and Satan.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood”
Redemption means…
“to purchase and set free by paying a price”
While Paul was writing primarily to Gentiles who understood slavery and redemption in a Roman context…
…I think that Paul was thinking in the context of the Hebrew Law of the Kinsmen Redeemer.
Ex. Law of the Kinsman redeemer ~ Lev. 25
God provided relief for the poor Hebrew person who sold himself into slavery.
A near blood relative could opt to pay the debt that the poor man could not and thereby redeem him from slavery.
The most beautiful example of that in the Old Testament is recorded in the story of Ruth who was redeemed by Boaz the wealthy kinsman of her dead husband.
He paid the price to redeem her husband’s land and at the same time rescued Ruth by taking her as his wife.
Interesting that Ruth was a Gentile (a Moabite) and that through her offspring came king David and Christ!
Ap. Jesus redeemed you with His blood!
Jesus is our kinsman redeemer!
He is a near relative by His humanity.
He has the means to redeem us by His deity.
Not only did He pay the price, but He paid it with the most precious commodity in all the universe…
…His own blood!
Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Not only did He redeem us but He has also, like Boaz ~ a Jewish prince…
…taken us, Gentiles, and made us His Bride!
Ap. You belong to Jesus now!
He bought you out of slavery and freed you from sin and death…
…you’re free now to do as you please but since He paid such a heavy price for you doesn’t it seem right to chose Him and His will for your life?
He forgave us! (vs. 7b)
Jesus paid the price to redeem us from Satan and the penalty of our sins, then He forgave us of every sin that we have or will commit!
“the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
One definition of the word “forgive” is…
“To carry away”
That is, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and carried them away so that they would never be seen again!
Ex. Jesus the “scapegoat” ~ Lev. 16
Under the Law the high priest would once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kipur) take two goats and bring them before the door of the sanctuary.
Lots were cast and one goat was chosen as a sacrifice to the Lord…
…the other, the scapegoat, was presented alive to the Lord.
The priests would lay hands on the scapegoat and symbolically transfer all of the sins of the people onto the scapegoat.
Then the scapegoat was released into the wilderness to “carry away” the sins of the people!
The idea was that just as the people would never see the scapegoat again neither more would God look upon their sins!
That’s what Jesus did for us! He carried our sins away as far as the “east is from the west” so that they will never be seen again! (Ref. Micah 7:19 & Ps. 103:12).
Ap. Jesus carried away your sins!
If you find your thoughts accusing you of old sins that you’ve been forgiven of…
…it’s not the Lord bringing them up ~ it’s the Devil who wants to keep you bound up with guilt and shame!
Don’t listen to those accusations!
Jesus has carried your sins away and neither He nor the Father is looking at them so neither should you!
Close
√ Your riches in Christ ~ part 1
Unlike the nice couple in the sports car Jesus has written us into His will and left us a huge inheritance!
Then He died so that the will would be activated.
Then He rose from the dead that He might take His place in Heaven as our Advocate (read “lawyer”) to make sure that the terms of the will are correctly followed!
In short, Jesus has done all that is necessary for us to inherit “every spiritual blessing” that Paul wrote of in vs. 3!
All we have to do to get in on it is to say “yes” to His invitation to become one of His children!
As we learned this morning if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus then you are…
Chosen by God to be His child.
Adopted by God so that you can share in all His blessings now.
Made acceptable to God so that you can stand before Him now and in eternity.
Redeemed by Jesus’ blood and set free from sin and death.
Forgiven of all your sins, past, present and future!
And that’s just part of the riches you have in Christ!