Ephesians 1:3
Blessed Beyond Belief
In Switzerland at the foot of
alps is a tombstone of a Mt. Climber / It simply reads he died CLIMBING
A)
I Like that – Not
Sliding / not Vegging / but Climbing
B)
I
think that is a good Description of what the Christian life is to be Like a
Continual Climb
1)
Always
desiring to go – Higher & further
in our walks – Never
getting comfortable or complacent – but always Desiring more of God
C) Well the Book of Ephesians has been commonly called – THE ALPS OF
THE NT
1) The View from Ephesians is Awesome / It is Inspiring /
It is Motivating
Indeed you climb
up into the very heavenlies in this Book
In the book of Ephesians we see where we are seated w/ Christ in the heavenlies /
A)
We see who we are in Christ because of what He has done for us
And We see who Christ is us
B)
Result is we find ourselves wanting to worship Him / and wanting to walk with Him / wanting to
engage ourselves in service to Him
1)
Wanting to live in Fellowship with Him !!!!
C)
That is why the book
of Ephesians has this neat outline in the way that it was written – it is by Divine Design
1) Chapters 1-3 focus on the wealth of the Believer / Ch.
4-6 Focus on the WALK of the believer / Ch. 6:10- Focus on the WARFARE
D) The First 3 Chapters deal w/ Doctrine
who we are in Christ / what He has done for us / who we are in Him
1) The Last 3 Chapters deal with Duty – Our Response to Him and what He
has done { What we GET TO DO / Not HAVE TO DO
Now a problem in my opinion that many Christians have & even some Churches today have is this :
A)
They tend to emphasis the Duty before they
Understand the Doctrine
B) In fact many Christians are quick to read thru Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians or Skip it all together
1) Because they want to get to studying about how to be successful in their walks / Successful in
their marriages / …. Parenting / …professions
2) And they want to learn
HOW TO STAND STRONG
IN WARFARE
C) Many Churches in fact reverse the order in their
teachings: They encourage people so often to Stand fast “Hold
Your ground”
1) Then they encourage them to walk worthy – and maybe
someday you will sit in the heavenlies – THEY REVERSE THE ORDER
D) The Result is many Christians are frustrated in their walks and worn out in their service & losing
in the battle
1) Because they never truly discovered the position of
strength that is theirs because they are IN CHRIST
See in God’s economy the secret for success starts w/ sitting w/ Christ in the heavenlies – Understanding who you are in Christ
A)
AND WHO CHRIST IS IN YOU !!!!
B)
Then walking worthy of Christ – which is
the natural response
1)
And then Standing Fast In Christ in the mist of the battle –
That is God’s design and IT WORKS
C)
So we get to spend
time here just climbing the MT. – Seeing
who we are in Christ in Ch. 1-3 {
1) IN these first 3 Chapters we are going to see at least
15 IN CHRIST Statements
D) Now our focus for the next several weeks here at CCV on
Sunday am is going to be to dive into each one of these IN CHRIST statements
Now on Wed nights we are going thru the book of Ephesians verse by verse – looking at each thing { This week Ch 1:7-14
A)
But On Sunday mornings we are going to just bask in the glory of these
wonderful truths – Some of the most amazing in all of the NT
B)
Truths that are meant
to elevate us into the High heavenlies – so that the tasks that are
before us here in this world are not burdensome to us
1) Not obligations – but wonderful blessings Privileges {
Get to’s instead of Have to’s
C) My prayer is that our hearts will be enriched
–refreshed/ radically blessed
1) Spirits deepened / and our walks Strengthened
Begin
V.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,
A) As Paul begins here he is so excited- He is writing from
a Prison cell in Rome – but that doesn’t matter { His heart is overflowing w/
Praise
B) Why : He knows /
He Understands how Blessed we are in the Lord – He Knows that GOD HAS BLESSED US
C) This morning as we consider the first of these IN CHRIST
statements we want to focus on 3 things: 1st The Sphere of
those Blessings
1) 2nd The
Scope of those blessings
/ 3rd The SOURCE of those
blessings
First
the Sphere : Blessings in the heavenly places- Literally it reads in the grk
Blessings in the Heavenlies
A)Paul is referring to blessings that are in the
Spiritual Realm – Blessings that originate from the
Realm of the Spirit
B) Sometimes because we live in the realm of the Physical it is hard for us to remember
that there is a Spiritual realm
1) Paul will talk later about the spiritual battle
or warfare that we constantly face – Warfare in the
Spiritual realm w/ Principalities & Powers
C) But because the Physical realm is so real
& can be so Challenging it is easy for us to forget about the spiritual
realm
1) But Paul wants us to Know that there is a
Plethora of Blessings available to us – that come from that Spiritual realm
D) From Heaven but they affect us here on the earth
!!
See as Christians we live w/ a 3 Dimensional Perspective / – Disney land - Honey I shrunk the kids - 3 D Glasses
A) Well the scriptures are our glasses that help bring this life into focus
B) Glasses that
Integrate the 3 Dimensions or the 3 Kingdoms to which every believer belongs
C) First there is the
world or Kingdom around us –
this planet / our jobs / our friends / these fleshly bodies / all of which –
Present challenges
1)This world that we live in
is marked by greed / unfairness / disappointment
D) This
world is controlled by our adversary the Devil – god of this world
1)
He
has an agenda – program – that is aimed at –DESTRUCTION
and
DISTRACTION / Distracting people of
their need of God/ - DESTROY
A)A kingdom in which there will be no more pain / no more
sorrow / no tears / a Kingdom marked by Beauty, Perfection
& Ultimate Satisfaction
B) We are presently longing for that Kingdom – longing for that
day when we will enter into that perfect & complete rest & be w/ our
Lord
1) Joy that is beyond anything we could ever experience in this life
But
then there is this 3rd Kingdom – the Kingdom with in
A)The Kingdom w/in our hearts where He who is the King of kings and
the Lord of Lords is wanting to reign
B) Jesus made this statement in Luke 17:21 to His
disciples that the Kingdom of God is with in You
1)Meaning that where ever the King is reigning there the
Kingdom of God is
C) Jesus as our King has Chosen to supply us with
everything we need to live for Him in this world –
1) Blessings that
serve as a source of Hope
– for the next life
D) God
has blessed us w/ Blessings in the Spiritual realm that are meant to Change our perspective & enable us as we live in the
Physical realm –
1)
So the Sphere of these blessings is they are in the Heavenlies
2nd
Consider the Scope of these Blessings: Every Spiritual blessing – some bibles render it ALL …….
A)
One commentator put it this way: What a little word but what a mighty word –
All – That means the Scope is Huge
B)
2 Peter 1:3 God
has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
C)
In other words God has given to us everything we need to enjoy & experience
life to the fullest – life the way it was meant to be lived
1)
And Everything we need to live a Godly life !!!!
Now
we will see in Coming weeks what some of those Blessings are – as Paul gives us
what is a partial list
A)
A list that begins w/ our Calling in the Lord v.4 –
and ends w/ all the fullness of God Ch.3:19
B)
We receive so much here but those blessings are just the beginning / these
blessings are just a foretaste of
something that is to come /
1)They
are the first installments of our inheritance in the Lord the
1 Cor 2:9 Eye has not seen,
nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
A)SO
the Scope is Beyond Belief !!!!
3rd
The Source: Key Phrase – IN CHRIST
A)
California – Get our water from the Colorado river – trying to pass legislation
& devise ways to severely limit the flow
B)
Like a river that provides refreshment to swim in / water to drink/ water for
wash / water to cook / water ice tea / water for pool /
C)
Like Christ – Enumerable blessings – flow into
to our lives – come thru the source of Christ
D)
All of these Spiritual blessings – that flow to us from the heavenlies are made
available in Christ –
1)
What exactly does that mean ?
Think
of it this way 2 Cor 1:20 Paul made
this Statement
20For all the promises of God in Him[ JESUS ] are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the
glory of God through us.
A) Now it has been estimated that
there are 7,847 Promises that God has made for the believer in Jesus Christ
1) Promises of Health &
Happiness / Promises of security / Promises of Strength –
B) But here is the thing we need to
understand – All of the Promises that people claim – Follow an OT Principle in
Duet 11
1) Where the Lord says If you
follow me in all your ways / If You love me w/ all your heart / If you do what
I command – Then I will …….
C) So those Promises
follow this If then Formula – Well that is a Problem for you and me !!!
1)
do I
always love the Lord with all of my heart. Do I walk in all of His ways. Do I
holdfast only to Him?
D) The answer, sadly, is No. Therefore, if I’m not doing the
‘ifs’, I can’t expect to receive the ‘thens’.
But what Paul declares
there in 2 Cor 1:20 Is that all the Promises are Yes = Certain / Amen – Accomplished – Only in Christ
A) And here is the sweet thing: You
and I are In Christ – so those Promises are available to us
B) Jesus has fulfilled all the ifs
– in the O.T. JESUS
loved the Father – perfectly
1)
Jesus did keep
all the commandments/ Jesus did walk in all his ways flawlessly – Jesus did hold fast to the Father
D)Therefore
the [ thens ] that follow are given to Him
1) What that means for us who are
believers is this We have been placed in Him so – those Promises &
Blessings are Available to us
How many Promises are we
talking about ? All the Promises Paul says
A)What a RANGE of vision this expression opens up! Peter in 2
Peter 1 called them Exceedingly
great & Precious promises …knowledge of Him
B) Promises that are so
wonderful that we can’t fully comprehend
their greatness & so wide in Range
– never Fathom their Reach !!!!
1)Promises of pardon to the seeking sinner; promises of justification to
the believing child of God ;
C) Promises of
sanctification to him who is struggling against
sin; promises of the supply of spiritual food to the flock of Christ;
CC) promises of guidance; promises of preservation; promises of peace & joy; promises of hope; promises of unending love;
D) promises of assurance in death; promises for judgment; promises for glory; promises that reach to all
eternity.
1)
All of those Promises are Certain & accomplished in Christ !!!!
E)
As long as I am in Christ – those Promises are available to me
If that sounds too good to be
true, think of it this way . . .
A)Suppose I’m in Hungary and I find myself craving a
hamburger, fries, and a shake.
B) The 6 dollars I
have in my pocket will
buy just that at In & out Burgers
here in Vista
1) Therefore, if I can get to Vista then I will have a burger, fries, &
a shake.
1) So I call United Airlines and say‘Can you
give me directions to Vista Ca.
C) ‘What is your
mode of transportation?’ the
official asks. ‘I’m broke,’ I
say. ‘So I’m going to walk.’
1) He says something like ‘Do you realize there are
mountains to climb, rivers to ford, and a little pond called the Atlantic Ocean to cross?’
D) ‘Yes,’ I say, ‘but if I can do it, then I can have a burger.’
‘Go west,’ he says. ‘And good luck.’
But then, after
a moment, he says, ‘I’m interested in your plight. I am a In & out Burger
fan too – Double Double -
A)And It just so happens that a United
Jumbo Jet 747 flight 403 is
leaving for SD in about an hour. I’ll
reserve a seat in first class for you.’
B) So AS I get on the jet and find my seat, I’m not worried
about maps or concerned about directions because
I’m in the Jumbo Jet
1)
and I
know the Jumbo Jet will make it.
C)
Here is the great part as we fly, people on the ground won’t even know I was
poor & foolish enough to think I could walk all the way to vista for a
hamburger.
D)
No, they won’t even see my foolishness because all they will see is a fabulous jet
flying through the sky headed for SD
So there I am on the 747, looking forward to my In & out burger.
But then something amazing happens.
A) As I’m sitting quite comfortably in the plane, a steward
comes by with a thick, juicy steak, a steaming baked potato, sautéed
vegetables, crisp salad, flaky croissant, and chocolate mousse.
B) Suddenly a In & Out burger is the farthest thing from my mind because what I’m being given on the plane is so much better.
C) Although I thought the Jumbo Jet was
simply a way to get me to In & Out 1) in reality, I’m
finding more satisfaction than I ever could have imagined just being on the
jet.
D) So too, we say, ‘Oh, Lord, I need help.’ But as we talk things over
with Him,
1)
we
find that although we initially thought if He answered our prayer, we’d be
happy, we realize it was Him we were craving all along.
You see, although we think we need Jesus to give us bread, He says, ‘I AM the Bread,’ (John 6:35).
A) We think we need Him to give us direction, but He says, ‘I AM the Way,’ (John 14:6).
B) We think we need Him to open up a job or a relationship or a ministry for us, but He says, ‘I AM the Door (John 10:7).
C) It’s Me you’re craving. All the promises of God are not something
which come FROM Me, but are found IN ME!!!!
1)
Spiritual blessings are not just from Him but they are found in Him
D) So little by little we find ourselves saying, ‘Whether
the relationship develops, the sickness is healed, the job opens —
1) it’s all irrelevant compared to what I’m discovering
just by spending time with You, Lord.’
E) So the amazing thing is this: Not only is all that we enjoy because of Him, but all that we crave is found in Him.
As
we Merely make it our aim to seek Him – draw near to Him – the Lord sends
blessings our way that are perfect for the situation we find ourselves in