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| What You Have in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1 |
In the opening of the book of Ephesians, Christ followers are called saints. Jesus made us saints. Every Christian is a saint and every saint is a Christian. If you are a saint (Christ follower), you are going to learn what you have today. If you are not a Christ follower, learn more about how to have a relationship with Jesus here.
Let's begin by reading Ephesians 1:3-14.
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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. - Ephesians 1:3-14
If you have ever visited The Varsity in Atlanta, then you know that when you approach the counter, the counter worker will yell at you with a quick "What'll ya have?!" They take this job very seriously, and if you don't order fast enough, they'll yell at you again. At least this has been my experience when I visited the popular Atlanta fast food chain.
In the video above, our pastor shares his own experience which was similar to mine. Then he mentions that the apostle Paul takes us to the "buffet" of salvation in Ephesians 1. He says the table is full. There are many dishes, and they are filled with every spiritual blessing. According to my pastor, this is Paul's version of "What'll ya have?!"
What we have is our position. Feasting on what we have should be our condition.
Truth: You don't need what you already have. You already have all that you need.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all have spiritual wealth to give us. Believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing.
What You Have
1. What We Have in the Father (verses 4-6)
We are chosen. God chose us before the foundation of the world. You are not an afterthought. Before anything existed, we (YOU) were on His mind.
We are adopted. God calls us sons and daughters.
We are accepted.
2. What We Have in the Son (verses 7-12)
We are redeemed. Jesus paid the price for our sin with His blood. We were slaves to sin but in Jesus, we are now free, redeemed.
We are forgiven. There is good and bad to learn here. The bad news is that we are all guilty and there is a penalty to be paid. The good news is that Jesus took our blame and our guilt. He has completely forgiven us.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us. - Psalm 103:12
I have wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud and your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. - Isaiah 44:22
They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” - Jeremiah 31:34
I will endure the rage of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will look at His righteousness. - Micah 7:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9
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| This wall art is available here. |
We have insight. We are chosen and adopted. We are not victims of the age. The cancer of sin is spreading all over the world but history is His story.
We have an inheritance. We are valuable to Jesus.
When Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for His church, He made it possible for us to share His spiritual riches. Instead of spending it all, Jesus paid it all. His death on the cross and His resurrection make possible our salvation. He wrote us into His will, then He died so the will would be in force. Then He rose again that He might become our advocate to make sure the terms of the will were correctly followed. - Warren Wiersbe
This Bible Commentary is available here.
3. What We Have in the Holy Spirit
We have been sealed. To seal something is to make it secure. This speaks of authenticity and permanence. Everything is secure. It can never be lost.
We have been guaranteed.
God blessed us immensely. He chose us unconditionally. He adopted us adoringly. He redeemed us graciously. He forgave us completely. He gave grace lavishly. He revealed His mystery wisely. He granted us inheritance eternally. He sealed us permanently. He guaranteed our position personally.
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| What You Have in Christ Jesus |
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