OUR INFINITE RICHES IN JESUS
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 10, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message; July 10, 2022 from Ephesians 1:1-3
Theme: Because our Father has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ, we should thank Him and take whole-hearted possession of them.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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This morning, we’re going to begin a brand new study from the very same book of the Bible that I preached through when I first became the pastor of this church. I’m excited to do so; because since that time, this part of God’s word has become even dearer to me.
After thirty years since first preaching through it, its truths have proven themselves to me over and over.
By God’s grace, we’re going to study the New Testament letter to the Ephesians.
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Now; let’s get right into it. Please look with me at the first three verses. They give us the introduction to this letter. It’s there that we read;
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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 … (Ephesians 1:1-3).
Ephesus was a city in Asia Minor. It was a city in which Paul spent a great deal of time ministering. He very much loved the Christians who lived there. And look especially at that third verse. It contains the main proposition of Paul’s letter to them. It declares something to us that is astonishing—something that, if true, is the greatest thing that could ever be told to redeemed sinners like you and me. It’s the good news that, through a relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, a believer has already been given every spiritual blessing that he or she will ever need in order to be able to live a completely fulfilling life before God on earth—and to be able to prepare for eternal life in heaven.
That’s what the apostle Paul’s letter to The Ephesians is all about. It’s a letter in which he unfolds to his Christian readers the immeasurable riches that are already theirs in Jesus Christ. He makes the case to us that we don’t need to try to be worthy of them, or to somehow work to earn them. They are already ours—in an infinite supply—in Jesus Himself. And all that remains, dear brother or sister, is that we now whole-heartedly believe that to be the case … and then rise up, take hold of those blessings in Christ, and live victoriously through them.
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This letter is to the New Testament—to a very large degree—what the Book of Joshua is to the Old Testament. Are you familiar with the Book of Joshua? It’s a book that tells us the story of what happened after God had brought the people of Israel out of their bondage to Egypt and led them to the Promised Land through Moses.
In the first few books of the Bible, we’re told the story of how the people of Israel had been led by Moses right up to the very doorstep of the land that God was giving them. It had already been given to them by God; and they simply needed to go in and take possession of it. But they had failed to do so. They saw the fearsome people who lived in that land, and doubted God, and refused to go in. As a result of their disobedience, that whole generation was forced by God to wander in the desert for forty years. After Moses died, and after a new generation grew up, God then raised up a godly leader named Joshua who led that new generation of the people of Israel across the Jordan River, and into the land of Caanan, so that they could take possession of all that God had given them. It took lots of work to do so. As the Book of Joshua shows us, they had to fight many battles along the way. But as they rose up in obedience to God, He mightily helped them. And by the end of the Book of Joshua, they had taken possession of the land that God gave them.
Now; did you know that Joshua’s name is the same name—in Hebrew—as that of our Lord Jesus? It’s hard not to see the story of Joshua as a picture of what the Lord Jesus has done for us. By His death on the cross for us—and by virtue of our union with Him through faith—He has secured for us an eternal home in heaven; and we are now blessed in Him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Those riches are infinitely greater than the riches of the land that God had given to the people of Israel. And the Lord Jesus—by the Person of His Holy Spirit—leads us to those riches. He has given us this wonderful letter to lay those riches out before us.
But we absolutely must rise up in obedience and take possession of those riches.
As a pastor, this has grown to be a very important concern to me. I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t come across as insensitive. I know that life can be very hard. But in the thirty years since having first preached from Ephesians, it has broken my heart many times to professing Christians that I have known who did not rise up and take possession of the blessings that it lays out to us. They struggled along their whole lives, it seemed, in ways that simply shouldn’t be true of someone who has a relationship with the indwelling Lord Jesus. And I would have to say that the main cause of their ongoing frustration and perpetual defeat was a failure to take possession of, and make use of, the blessings they’ve already been given in Christ.
I have watched as many believers—people who sincerely love the Lord Jesus—who seemed to struggle over and over with the frustrations of daily living. Please understand; I’m not talking about the external circumstances of life over which they had no control. I’m not even talking about failures from the past that cannot be changed. Rather, I’m talking about the ways that they dealt with those circumstances going forward. They went through many years of battling the same kinds of sinful habits, and the same sort of harmful addictions, and the same sort of dismal patterns of thought, and falling repeatedly into the same sort of dead-ends in life. They never seemed to gain victory over them, nor seemed to be delivered from them. It’s like they’d been led up to the very borders of the Promised Land … but got afraid, doubted God, and failed to go in and conquer Caanan.
And it’s usually not because they didn’t try in their own efforts. They often worked very hard at using every human resource at their disposal. But that—it seems to me—was the problem. They relied on their own resources; but failed to rest in the power of the Lord Jesus Himself—their true ‘Joshua’—and to allow Him to lead them into victory through the immeasurable riches that God has given them through their union with Him.
But that’s why I’m glad that we’re going through Ephesians again. The thing that the introductory words to this letter declare to us is absolutely true. We really have already been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. If we have the Lord Jesus, we have every spiritual resource that we need in an immeasurable supply. They are in ‘heavenly places’; which means that they can never be taken away from us. And this all means we can live victoriously in Him. As Paul said in Colossians 2:8-10;
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:8-10).
Or as the apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:2-4;
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:2-4).
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s begin our study of this marvelous, Holy Spirit-inspired letter to the Ephesians. As it will show us, God has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ … and we’re now invited to thank Him and take possession of them.
No matter what our past experience has been, now is the time to go forward in victory.
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Now; the many things that this letter tells us are astonishing. They’re really ‘out-of-this-world’ truths. But how can we be sure of them? How can we be confident enough in their reliability that we can trust our lives to them? That’s why it’s important to consider who is telling us these things. So; let’s begin by considering …
1. THE AUTHOR.
Verse 1 says; “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God …”
We know this man by his name Paul. But he wasn’t always known by that name. He was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. He was a man who was violently hostile toward the Christian faith. He was on the way, one day, to arrest Christians and bring them to trial and to execution. But the resurrected Lord Jesus met him on the road to Damascus; and Saul became a transformed man. Jesus Christ completely changed him and made him into His own messenger—an apostle.
This means that the truths that Paul is telling us in this letter didn’t originate from him. He didn’t come up with them from out of his own insight or imagination. They were revealed to him by the Lord Himself. In Galatians 1:11-12, Paul wrote;
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12).
There are many truths about the Christian faith that have been given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ through His divinely-sent messenger Paul. But among those things are the truths about the glorious riches that are now ours in Jesus. As he wrote later on in this letter—in Ephesians 3:8;
To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ … (Ephesians 3:8).
So; here’s the first thing we need to know. The information we’re being given about our immeasurable riches in Christ is completely reliable. These things are revealed to us by God, and given to us through Paul who is “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God”.
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But to whom do these infinite riches belong? Who specifically is being invited to take possession of them? That’s also something that is being told to us in Verse 1. That’s where we read of …
2. THE RECIPIENTS.
This letter was written, “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus …”
Paul calls his readers “saints”. And we shouldn’t misunderstand that word. We often mistakenly think of people only being ‘declared saints’ if they have been outstandingly pious and extremely spiritual people. But that’s not what that word actually means. The word ‘saint’ simply means ‘a set-apart one’; someone who has been set apart from all the rest—sanctified unto God’s special love and purpose. No one can earn the right to be called ‘a saint’ by their own remarkable holiness or good works. Rather, they are ‘saints’ by the fact that God chose them for Himself and His love.
I think that the best biblical definition of what a ‘saint’ is found in 1 Peter 1:2. Peter describes the recipients of his letter as
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2).
To be “sanctified of the Spirit” is to be a ‘set-apart one’; that is, a saint. And it’s God Himself who does the ‘setting-apart’. And so, it’s only to the saints—that is, the ones who had been chosen by God from eternity to be sanctified by the Spirit for the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus—that these wonderful riches in Christ belong to.
But look how else Paul describes the recipients. He says that they are “faithful in Christ Jesus”. He puts the word “Christ” first—which is the official title of our Lord Jesus. He is the Anointed One—the promised Messiah. He’s the Savior who was prophesied about in the Old Testament Scriptures. And to be “faithful” in Him means that we have believed in those promises, and have placed our faith in His sacrifice for us on the cross, and who stay true to Him to the very end. To speak of our being ‘saints’ speaks of God’s grace toward us; and to speak of our being ‘faithful in Christ Jesus’ speaks of our response to that grace.
So; here’s the second thing we need to know. The things that are revealed in this letter about the infinite spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ are not meant for everyone in the world. They only belong to those who have been set apart by God for Himself as saints; and who have given proof of that by the fact that they believe on Jesus and are faithful to Him.
By the way; have you placed your trust in Jesus as your Savior? Have you believed on Him for the forgiveness of your sins? Do you stay true to Him? Then that’s proof that you are among ‘the saints’ that God has chosen for Himself; and that these blessings belong to you.
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And now; notice a third thing in this introduction; and that’s …
3. THE GREETING.
In verse 2, Paul writes, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s a greeting that is very much like many of the other greetings that Paul offered at the beginning of his letters. But we shouldn’t pass by this one too quickly. It tells us something about the ones to whom Paul declares all these wonderful blessings—and what he believed to be true about their spiritual condition.
As those who are ‘saints’ and ‘faithful in Christ Jesus’, notice that Paul wishes them “grace”. That is the unmerited favor of God, given to them freely as a gift through Jesus. All of the wonderful blessings that God gives to us as His people are given freely by Him as gifts of His grace to us through faith. And notice that Paul also wishes them “peace”. That expresses their state of being before God through Christ. They have peace with God, and they also have peace from God. They experience the removal of all enmity that our holy God would have had toward them because of sin, and they experience the wonderful tranquility that comes from being brought into a right relationship with Him.
And note that these things—grace and peace—are theirs “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. When Jesus rose from the dead—after He died on the cross for our sins—He declared;
“I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17).
All the blessings that God gives us through Jesus are gifts to those who are under His grace, who are in a state of peace with Him, and are now loved by Him as His own dear children. What a wonderful condition we are in to receive these blessings to the fullest degree!
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And now; let’s look at verse 3 and consider …
4. THE GIFT OF EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING.
Paul says, “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 …” The wonderful sufficiency of these spiritual blessings—and how we’re to live in the light of them—is the subject of the rest of this letter. And I recommend that we read just a little bit ahead and see what these blessings are. There are many more blessings that are ours through Jesus than the ones Paul mentions. But here are just a few …
In verse 4, Paul mentions the blessing of election—that is, that God chose us for Himself in Christ before the world ever was. He wrote;
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 … (v. 4).
We also find the blessing of adoption—that is, that God has officially—once and for all—made us into His own beloved sons and daughters, with all the rights and privileges that come from being His children. In verses 5-6, Paul wrote;
… having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved (vv. 5-6).
We also have the blessing of the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus, by the blood of His cross, has bought us out of our slavery to sin and has removed all guilt from us. Can there be a greater blessing for sinners than to be completely forgiven by God? As it says in verse 7;
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (v. 7) …
In verses 8-10, Paul speaks of the blessing of revelation—that is, God’s own revealed wisdom—wisdom for living in the present, and wisdom for looking ahead toward the future. He wrote of the riches of God’s grace through Christ …
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 (vv. 8-10).
Another blessing we have is an eternal inheritance in Christ—one that can never be taken away. In verses 11-12, Paul wrote;
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 (vv. 11-12).
To make sure we will never fall short of that inheritance, we are also blessed with the seal of the Holy Spirit. We can never be lost to Him or forgotten by Him. Verse 13 says;
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 (v. 13).
And finally, we are given the blessing of an absolute guarantee of future glory. In verse 14, Paul tells us about the Holy Spirit;
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (v. 14).
These blessings, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, are already ours. We don’t have to earn them. They are immeasurably great gifts given to us freely. They can never be lost to us. But in order for them to make a difference in our lives, we need to rise up and take possession of them. As Paul said in Ephesians 4:1;
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called … (Ephesians 4:1).
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Now; how do we do that? I’d like to close by suggesting how we can start walking in this calling—and in the full possession of these eternal blessings—right away.
Do you notice how Paul began this list of blessings? He didn’t merely talk to his readers about them. He talked to God about them. Verse 3 says, “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 …” In other words, Paul begins this letter by giving God thanks for all these things in a doxology of thanks.
And that’s how we grab hold of these things and take possession of them—that is, by consciously and intentionally thanking God for them. We don’t need to earn them or go out and try to obtain them. They’re already ours as a gift of God’s grace. And so, we take possession of them—in a personal and practical way—by thanking God for them in the midst of our times of need.
Do you ever feel as if you are unworthy of God’s love and favor? Then stop right then and say, “Thank you, heavenly Father, that—through Jesus—I am one of your elect. I was chosen by you from before the foundation of the world—before I ever did a single thing. Thank you that you have adopted me as Your own; and You will never reject those you have adopted through Christ.” Or do you ever feel the oppressive burden of the sins of the past? Does the devil ever come along and try to make you feel guilty for things you can no longer do anything about? Then stop right then and bless God and say, “Thank you, Father, for full forgiveness through the cross of Jesus Christ. I admit that I am a sinner; but You have completely redeemed me from the guilt of my sins by the blood of Your Son. Thank you that I am completely forgiven, and am no longer guilty in Your sight.” Are you ever afraid that you will be lost to God and that you will not be accepted into heavenly glory? Then stop right then and thank God—blessing His name—by saying, “Thank You, heavenly Father, that I am sealed in Jesus Christ forever by Your Holy Spirit. He indwells me as Your own guarantee that I will be in heaven and that I will experience full glorification in Jesus Christ.”
Can you see it? By “blessing” God for these things—by thanking Him for them and giving Him the worship He is due for them—we honor Him. We show that we believe the absolute truth of them … and thus wrap our hands, as it were, around them to take full possession of them in our lives. As Paul puts it in Philemon v. 6;
… that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6).
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s commit ourselves to learning from this letter about the infinite spiritual riches that are ours in Christ. Let’s say with Paul, “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”!
AE
