Taught 9/14/2008
Ephesians 1:8-14
Your riches in Christ ~ part 2
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
√ Unclaimed riches!
According to the US Government the State governments within the United States are holding $10 billion dollars of unclaimed cash!
The money represents bank accounts, life insurance policies, security deposits and the like for which the state cannot locate the person to whom the money belongs.
Often because a person died without leaving a will and no living relative can be located.
Other times a living person simply forgets about a deposit, or isn’t aware that they are entitled to some settlement or cash benefit.
The same is sadly true for many Christians who are not tapping into their inheritance…
…either because they don’t know it exists, or they don’t know that they are entitled to it!
√ Your riches in Christ!
Last week we began looking at the inheritance that we have in Christ…
Chosen by the Father to be His child.
Adopted by the Father so that you can share in all His blessings now.
Made acceptable by the Father so that you can stand before Him now and in eternity.
Redeemed by Jesus’ blood and set free from sin and death.
Forgiven by Jesus of all your sins, past, present and future!
And that’s just part of the riches you have in Christ!
This morning we’ll finish looking at the riches we received from Jesus, the Son of God and also those benefits we have from God the Holy Spirit.
Keep in mind that all of these riches are for us to enjoy now because Jesus has done everything necessary for us to inherit the wealth of Heaven…
He wrote you into His will
He died to activate the will
He rose from the dead and is now in Heaven serving as our Advocate (read “lawyer”) to ensure that we have full access to our benefits.
So, don’t leave your blessings unclaimed!
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.
He revealed the Father’s will to us! (vs. 8-10)
The 3rd blessing that the Son of God has given us is that He has let us in on the Father’s plan for the future!
“which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 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 word “mystery” isn’t talking about an Agatha Christie novel, rather it means…
…a previously hidden truth that is made clear by new revelation.
Ex. The Messiah
Old Testament prophets speak of the Messiah as both…
A suffering servant ~ Isa. 53
A conquering king ~ Isa. 9:6-7
…leading many Jewish scholars to conclude that there would be two Messiahs, or that the suffering Messiah wasn’t an individual but was symbolic of the nation.
The ministry and identity of Messiah then was a mystery!
But, when Jesus came He revealed to us through His teaching and ministry God’s mystery…
…One Messiah, two Advents!
√ His will
The mystery that Paul speaks of here in vs. 8-10 is God’s plan for the future Kingdom…
“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.” ~ vs. 10
That is, when Jesus returns at the end of human history He will establish His Kingdom on earth and bring to completion all the prophecies and promises that God has made since Man was placed on earth!
Undo the consequences of sin
To put away Death
Remove evil and wickedness
To establish a perfect world for us to live in
Restore all that was lost
Rule and reign while He lives among us
All that will come to pass in the Millennial Kingdom!
Ex. Consequence of sin
It doesn’t take a theologian to recognize that the world in which we live is winding down!
Physicists call it entropy.
The Bible tells us that all the corruption we see, all the disease and “natural” disasters are the result of sin entering the world.
Living things ~ people, plants and animal
The material universe ~ rocks to stars
Thoughts ~ from good to evil
But, God has promised that through His Son Jesus Christ He is going to put everything back together again the way He originally designed it!
Ap. He’s going to finish what He began in you!
Part of God’s plan is to bring to completion the work that He has begun in you who have trusted in Christ!
That is, getting saved was only the beginning of the great plan that God has for you!
He plans to make you and me the way that we were supposed to be in His original plan!
A perfect reflection of His love!
A body, soul and spirit that is free from sin and all defects!
A king and priest in His Kingdom!
Living in a environment perfectly suited to our needs and Godly desires!
You can be sure that you as a believer in Christ are part of the work that Jesus will bring to completion because He promised so!
Phil. 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
And…
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
He has made us an inheritance (vs. 11-12)
The next benefit that Jesus has given us is that He made us an inheritance…
“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, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
The NKJV says that we have “obtained” an inheritance, but it can also be translated…
“in whom also we were made a heritage” ~ ASV
Both are true and one includes the other!
That is, “in” Christ we have an incredible inheritance! We’ve spent the last two weeks reviewing some of the great stuff that God has given us!
But, it’s also true that we are an inheritance!
That is, we are valuable to God and He has sent His Son to die in our place so that we can become His lavishly loved on possession!
In a sense then God the Son is the Father’s gift to us…
…and we are the Father’s gift to His Son!
Ex. John 17
As Jesus prays He thanks the Father for…
“those you have given me”
…speaking of the disciples specifically, but universally of all believers!
Ap. You’re an inheritance
The Bible reveals that you, as part of the Church, are…
Christ’s Body (Eph. 1:22-23)
Christ’s Building (Eph. 2:19-22)
Christ’s Bride (Eph. 5:22-23)
And a…
“joint heirs with Christ” ~ Romans 8:17
The point is that Jesus’ inheritance is wrapped up in the Church which means that He can’t claim His inheritance (the Kingdom)…
…apart from us!
So you don’t have to worry about missing out on the Kingdom because Jesus won’t take His place as King without His Bride!
Blessings from the Spirit (vs. 13-14)
Eph. 1:13 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,
Eph. 1:14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
√ Blessings from the Spirit
The blessings, or riches, we have from God the Holy Spirit, I think, are especially important to believers today!
That’s because since we were not privileged to see Jesus during His earthly ministry we need the testimony and power of the Holy Spirit to live out our faith…
…and to know with assurance that we are saved!
That is, since we haven’t had Jesus lay His hand on our shoulder, look us in the eye and say…
“I’m going to prepare a place for you and will come back to get you” (paraphrase John 14)
We might doubt the reality of our salvation! But, God the Holy Spirit ministers in our lives today in part so that we can know for sure that we are going to spend eternity with Jesus!
He has sealed us! (vs. 13)
Paul tell us that…
“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.”
Notice that Paul tells the Ephesians (and us) that when they put their trust in the Gospel message that they were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
What’s the significance?
To be sealed with the Holy Spirit means…
The deal is done!
That is, the spiritual transaction in which Jesus purchased you from the Devil, sin and death …
…is finished!
Just as today a formal document, like a deed that records the sale of a home, is stamped with an official seal after both parties have signed the deal…
…so when you were purchased from Satan and sin God stamped you with the seal of His Holy Spirit to let everyone know the deal is done!
You can rest assured then that the Devil can’t come back and claim any power or authority over you!
You belong to God now!
A seal also communicates ownership.
When a merchant made a purchase in the ancient world they would seal the cargo with their signet ring.
The cargo would be loaded onto a ship and sent to the merchants home town.
When the cargo arrived at port the merchant could claim his right to ownership of the cargo by matching his signet ring to the wax seal.
Well, when God purchased you from the Devil He sealed you with His Holy Spirit so that when you arrive at port…
…the end of your life, or at the Rapture of the Church, the Son will claim ownership of you and bring you home!
Your salvation is real
Another use of a seal is to prove the authenticity of a document.
That is, anyone could write a letter to another person and pretend to be someone they aren’t (ex. “I am the wife of the former Mr. Mohamed al Queda and want to share millions with you…”)
So, when a person wanted to authenticate a letter he would seal it with his signet ring so that the recipients would know that it was real.
In the same way people can claim to belong to Christ but it is the seal of the Holy Spirit that proves the authenticity of their claim!
Ap. The seal of the Holy Spirit
So, how can you see the seal of the Holy Spirit to discern if someone, or yourself, is really a Christian?
The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence that a person has been sealed with the Holy Spirit!
That is, you should be able to look at your life (or someone else’s) and compare yourself before and after you asked Jesus into your life.
While you’re not perfect yet you should be able to see a change in your life!
You should see the fruit of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22-23 growing in your life!
That’s evidence that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit and therefore saved!
Hopefully that will bring you some encouragement and do away with any fear that you may have had regarding the authenticity of your salvation!
2) He has given us a guarantee! (vs. 14)
In addition to being the seal of our salvation the presence of the Holy Spirit within the believer is a guarantee of His promise to come for us!
“who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Rather than “guarantee” the old King James uses the word “earnest”, both mean…
“Down payment”
In fact we still use the term “earnest” in that sense in real estate transactions.
The buyer will include “earnest” money with an offer to purchase a home or property.
It is the guarantee that the buyer is serious about his offer and that he has the means to close the deal.
That’s what the Holy Spirit is in the life of a believer!
He is the first installment from God that guarantees to us that He will finish the work He has started in our lives and will bring us into glory!
Where Paul writes…
“the redemption of the purchased possession”
…he’s speaking of that future time when God completes the work He has begun in us!
That is the redemption of our bodies which takes place at the Rapture of the Church.
The work of redemption looks like this…
We have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7).
We are being redeemed through the work of the Holy Spirit to make us like Christ (Rom. 8:1-4).
We shall be redeemed when Jesus returns and makes us like Himself (I John 3:2).
So, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is our guarantee that God is going to finish our redemption!
√ You’re engaged!
The word translated “guarantee” or “earnest” also means…
“engagement ring”
In fact, in Greece even today you will find this word being used in this manner.
Think about what an engagement ring means…
…it is a man’s promise that he is going to come back and marry the woman to whom he gave the ring.
Ap. Our relationship with Jesus
That reminds us that our relationship with Jesus is more than just a financial transaction (buying us out of slavery)…
…it is also a love relationship!
Jesus is the Bridegroom and we are His Bride!
The gift of His Spirit then is a symbol of His love for us and a promise that He is going to come back to make us Wife!
We can be sure then that He is coming back because He has given us His “engagement” ring!
Close
√ Our riches in Christ ~ part 2
We have so much in Christ Jesus!
The eternal riches that all the money in the world can’t buy and they belong to us through our faith in Jesus Christ.
So, don’t forget that…
True riches come from God
All these riches come from God’s grace and for His glory
They are only the beginning of what we have in Christ
Don’t leave your riches unclaimed!