BLESSED BEYOND REASON
Rev. Peter Smit
Sermon 1 of a series on Ephesians (Series title – “Ephesians: Portraits of the living church”
Text – Ephesians 1:1-14
Reading – Acts 19
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a portrait of the living church.
It captures the church in all its differing aspects of beauty and power. More importantly it helps us see the head of the church, God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote this letter to Christians. He addresses them as, “The saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.”
These were people who had turned to Christ in an idolatrous city. Idol worship of the Greek Goddess Artemis was the norm in Ephesus. Artemis was pictured as an eternally young woman, beautiful and vigorous, wearing a short costume which left her legs free. She was believed to be defender and guardian of women in childbirth and of wildlife in general. She opposed the institution of marriage. When Paul came to Ephesus in AD 53-55 he preached Jesus Christ and good news of salvation. He clearly spoke against the worship of Artemis and idols.
God did amazing miracles through Paul. The sick were healed, demonized people were set free, and many came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. The city was hugely impacted. Sorcerers came to Christ, confessed their evil ways and burned their scrolls worth about 10 million dollars in today’s currency.
The Lord’s word spread widely and grew in power.
The silver smiths heard that Paul said their idols were not gods, and this strongly threatened their trade. They gathered together and started a great uproar which culminated in a huge mob shouting for two hours “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians”.
About 5 years later in AD 60 Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Ephesus.
Paul greets them with two significant words: “grace” and “peace”.
Grace and peace which come from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the source of grace – God’s unmerited favor to us.
Jesus is the source of peace – a restored relationship with God.
Paul then launches off into a waterfall of praise and thanksgiving to God. It’s one long sweeping sentence, where he doesn’t even pause for breath. No punctuation for 202 words. It’s all about grace, all about what God has done for us.
If you’ve committed your life to following Jesus Christ what Paul teaches here is true of you.
Praise God!
Vs 3 begins with words that more literally could be translated, “Blessed be God…” It might sound strange to say that we bless God, but it’s a common enough expression in the Bible. And it’s a response to his blessing in our lives. When God blesses us he provides richly for us. When we “bless” God, we thank God for all his rich provision.
Praise God who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
In the OT, God’s blessings were often very material: land, prosperity and such like.
In the NT, God’s blessings are largely spiritual. They are blessings in the heavenly realms – the supernatural unseen world where God’s work is unseen, but Oh so real!
What spiritual blessings is Paul talking about here in particular? The passage before us outlines three massive blessing. We have been: Chosen, Forgiven, Sealed by His Spirit. Another way of saying this is that we have received the blessings of Election, Redemption and Spiritual life. Let’s look at each of these in turn.
1. HE HAS CHOSEN YOU.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
H e chose us in him
Before time began – in eternity past – God had a purpose in his mind.
God’s purpose linked you to Jesus.
God put you and Jesus together in his mind.
Of course, before creation, God knew all about your sin, the rebellion against him that would enter your life and come to characterize you.
But God said – “I choose to save you. I choose to link you to Jesus, to adopt you into my family. I do this because I love you and because I delight to show mercy to you. This is my good pleasure and will.”
God chose you. God adopted you.
But people say, “But I repented, I chose God! How can you say that God took the initiative?
Yes you did choose Christ, freely.
But only because in eternity past, before he made the world, God chose you.
It’s a mystery but it’s true, God chose you. Not because of anything you would do. By grace God chose you.
You were predestined – from eternity God planned and put into effect your final destiny.
You were adopted – giving you all the legal rights of being a child of God, and securing your eternal inheritance.
Paul goes on. God chose you for a purpose: to be holy and blameless in his sight.
God chose you in Christ to make you like Christ, holy and blameless. Free from sin, free from guilt, free from shame, in God’s sight, because of Jesus; in Jesus, you are holy.
If you were chosen to be a Prince or Princess – with all the legal rights, all the power and authority of royalty – you’d seek to live like one, wouldn’t you?
God says, “You are my child – You were in my mind before I created the world. I chose you, I predestined you to be joined to my Son in faith. Now start living like a chosen one. Choose to be holy.
Maybe you are already overwhelmed and would like me to stop! But Paul goes on. The next reason for praising God is:
2. HE HAS FORGIVEN YOU.
Ephesians 1:7-8
7 In him we have redemption through his blood , the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
People can carry guilt for years. Below the surface guilt corrodes their soul. It steals joy and peace. It accuses and oppresses.
That’s why we need a Saviour. We need rescuing from our guilt before God.
We need to be redeemed.
In NT times slaves could be redeemed. Redemption means deliverance by the payment of a price.
In was possible to pay a redemption price to buy a slave his freedom.
Jesus redeemed us through his blood. His sacrifice paid for our sin.
When we confess our sin, when we ask for forgiveness, when we repent and turn away from sin, God forgives.
What God linked together in his mind from before Creation – you and Jesus – becomes a reality.
The purity of Jesus gets linked to you. Jesus’ righteousness covers your guilt.
Look at the words in verses 7-8.
Forgiveness comes from the “riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us”.
In his great wisdom God knew that the only way you could be free from guilt would be by him lavishing you with his grace and love and mercy.
God not stingy. He is not mean-spirited. Just the opposite, his underserved love and favour are lavish!
Forgiveness lavished over your sin, covers all your sin.
Verse 6 says that God gives this grace freely in Jesus. You can’t earn it, you don’t deserve it.
But if you are “in Christ” if you believe and belong to Jesus, it’s all yours.
When you sin – when you sin bad – you must remember and believe that your sin is covered. It’s paid for. Forgiveness needs to be applied afresh by you confessing your sin and asking God to lavish you with his mercy.
These verses ought to remind you that your assurance of salvation does not depend on how good you are. It depends on how good God is. He chose you. Believe it. Trust in Jesus Christ alone.
But to show God is true to his promise, he’s done something more for you.
He chose you, he forgave you, and thirdly
3. HE HAS SEALED YOU.
Remember God chose you before he made the world. He saw you before you were born, or your parents or even before he created the first two people, Adam and Eve.
In his mind God linked you to Jesus.
But there was a time when that link became real to you.
Paul describes it in Ephesians 1:13.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed…
You were adopted, when you heard God’s truth. When you received the gospel, the good news about Jesus into your heart. And then on hearing you believed.
[ Here it would be good to speak briefly about your own conversion. Perhaps some of the following words might be helpful: Transition from parent’s faith to personal faith. God gave me new life. I knew. I believed. My life started to change. Behaviour changed. Faith grew. Knowledge understanding. Not sinless. Not perfect. But real growth. God’s word became personal, meaningful, powerful. ]
Why? How?
God the Holy Spirit now had come into my life.
Paul describes it.
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
God gives the Holy Spirit to those who truly hear, repent and believe.
The Holy Spirit; he is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Here he is called “the promised holy Spirit”.
Paul teaches us three truths about the Spirit.
THE SPIRIT IS PROMISED.
Jesus promised to send his Spirit to the disciples. He told them the Counselor would come.
His Spirit would comfort, strengthen and help. That’s a promise you can trust.
The promised Spirit will come if you ask Jesus to be Lord of your life.
THE SPIRIT IS ALSO A SEAL.
In Paul’s day, if you had an important possession you would find a secure container for it to keep it safe. You’d put a wax seal on it; a mark of ownership. That would be proof it belonged to you and the contents of the container were yours.
God gives you his Spirit as a seal. You now belong to him. You are his chosen son or daughter. Your life is joined to Christ. He lives with you and in you.
THE SPIRIT IS A DEPOSIT.
The sealing of the Holy Spirit on your life is like a down payment.
You could compare it to putting a deposit on a house to buy or rent.
It’s the promise of more to come.
When settlement comes – all the rest of the money will be handed over.
The Spirit is God’s guarantee to you that the fullness of God’s presence, the fullness of his love, the fullness of Jesus Christ, the fullness of his joy, peace, and provision will one day be yours. When Jesus comes again, when he gathers his church, his bride into heaven, then the splendour of the Spirit will be poured out in all his Fullness into your life for all eternity.
All this comes from God. And it all has a mighty purpose.
He chose you, he has forgiven you, he has sealed you, for one important purpose.
4. SO THAT YOU MIGHT LIVE FOR HIS GLORY.
When you think that God thought of you before he made this universe and the world…
When you think he sent his own Son to pay for your sins and forgive you…
When you experience the presence of his Spirit, the guiding light of Christ…
It makes you wonder: what does God want me to do?
How do I respond to all this?
Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:11-12.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
God is looking for one response from you.
“That you might live for the praise of his glory.”
Out of deep gratitude I take this life he gave me and live every day for his glory.
Every day I praise him.
Every day I commit to honour him.
Every day I thank him for all he has done for me.
With Paul, every day, you say his opening words:
Blessed be God… Praise be to God.
And with Paul every day you say his closing words in verse 14:
I live “to the praise of his glory”.
As John Newton wrote…
“’tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
Amen