Message at FARM, January 19, 2016 Sunday Celebration by Rev. Zeny Calusay
ALREADY BLESSED WITH TRUE RICHES
CENTRAL TEXT: Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
TRUTH: Christians have to see and recognize first that God has already given them the best blessings – the spiritual blessing which also provide the basis by which they can be blessed more by the Heavenly Father.
INTRODUCTION:
Do you see yourself now as truly blessed? MORE BLEST means you are already blest, if you don’t see this, you can’t truly hope to be more blest.
When it comes to matters of blessings, we often view them in the wrong light. We tend to think of blessings that are physical and material in nature: But the better blessings of God are spiritual in nature, and these spiritual blessings will never be taken away from us!
From our text today, we first have to see that we are already blest with the heavenly blessings.
Paul says ALL, EVERY spiritual blessings that we need in Christ. Man is totally blessed by God, beyond all measure. All of these blessings spring from His grace and love towards us.
SCRIPTURE: Eph 1:1-14
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THESE BLESSINGS, v 3
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
1. Quantity – summed up in one little word “ALL”,”EVERYTHING” When you and I got saved, we got everything Jesus had to offer us! We got it at that very moment, there is nothing else! Meaning God did not withhold anything we need to live the Christian life.
2. Quality – “blessings in heavenly places.” This literally means that these blessings are things that originated in heaven. They are not earthly blessings, but they are heavenly blessings!
THE LIST OF BLESSINGS:
1. WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.
Eph 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
a. “Chose” means ” to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one’s self.”
b. “before the world” – before the world was made, not an afterthought nor a second choice
c. “chosen to be holy and blameless – before Him, in His sight – Holy means to be “set apart to, consecrated; holy, morally pure, upright, “faultless; without fault.” That is why God’s people are called “saints” (v.1) In the eyes of God, a saint is one who has been set apart for and by God and is without fault.”
d. What a blessing we enjoy as saved people that we are that we were chosen in Christ by the grace of God . He loved me even though He knew all about me.
Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
2. WE HAVE BEEN ADOPTED.
Eph 1:5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Eph 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
a. Adoption means to be given sonship, or placed as a natural son.” By adoption, we become the children of God.
b. Sons, therefore heirs to God; we will inherit what He has. A sinner who has been saved by grace and adopted as a child of God is equivalent to the proverbial “rags to riches” scenario.
c. This is the Blessing of Family. God the Father brought me into His family and made me His child. What a blessing! At the moment of salvation, you and I became the children of God, We are His sons and daughters with all the rights and privileges that come to any child born in to the family, 1Jn 3:1,2 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Rom 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
3. WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED.
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood
a. Redemption means “to release a captive upon payment of a ransom price.” To redeem something, we have to give something for what we are getting.
b. We were in bondage of sin and the life of eternal punishment that goes along with that. We were helpless to redeem ourselves; we had nothing to give. The wages of sin death. Death was the demanded payment for our sin.
c. To redeem us, God, gave His Son’s life. The death of His perfect life was the only thing that could purchase us from the bondage of sin.
d. This is the blessing of freedom. A freedom that cost the life of the Son of God. This speaks of how valuable you are,. how much you are worth. We should appreciate the value of our redemption. You are worth the Life of the Only, begotten, Beloved Son of God.
1Pe 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish ad without spot.
4. WE HAVE RECEIVED FORGIVENESS.
Eph 1:-18 In him we have…….the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
a. Forgiveness means that we have been pardoned of our sins. And when God forgives our sins, He doesn’t even remember them anymore. They are gone. He will never bring them up before us again. We will never be accused by God of our past sins. Men and Satan will, but God never will!
b. `According to the riches of His grace’ which He lavished on us – grace is unmerited favor.
c. Forgiveness the way God forgives ring great blessing: Read these verses:
Psa 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Isa 38:17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
Isa 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Col 2:14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
5. WE HAVE BEEN ENLIGHTENED.
Eph 1:,10 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
a. “Having made known” is one Greek word which means ” to know, to gain knowledge of, have thorough knowledge of.” This word is in the active tense, which means that the subject, God, is the one doing the action. God Himself makes Himself, His purpose, His ways known to His children.
b. To those who are not children of God, He is a total mystery: everything about Him, His Will, Purpose, This kind of “knowing” is based on our relationship with Him. The rest of the world does not know God in this way. Ways are incomprehensible to those that are not saved.
1Co 2:11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
1Co 2:13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
c. This enlightenment is one of the greatest blessings that we can have in this life time. Because we are Christians, spiritual, God’s children, we are people who know better about life and living.
CONC LUSION:
These spiritual blessings are the best blessings the God can give, the true riches which no money can buy. But these blessings also guarantee that God will bless us with more. Being chosen, adopted in God’s family, forgiven, redeemed are also the basis of our hope to be blessed with other things, to be more blessed.
• Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
• Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
• Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
CHALLENGE:
We should see and recognize first God’s Best Blessing. And along with Paul say with exhilaration: BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. WE should be able to say I AM BLESSED ALREADY. Only then can we truly hope to be MORE BLEST IN 2016.
Will you stand with me of you have seen how blessed you are already.
Then we will ask God to bless us more.
First Assembly Roxas Missions, Incorporated 