Good morning to you my precious family in Christ

Ephesians 1 verse 3 says; “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.”

Bill Gates makes so much money every minute that if he is walking down the sidewalk, and sees a hundred-dollar bill lying there, it would be a waste of his time to stop and pick it up as he has more money than he could spend, even if he tried to spend it all.

But if you are a Christian, if you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, you are rich beyond your wildest imagination. You are richer than Bill Gates.

As a believer we are blessed. God has blessed us. He has poured out every spiritual blessing on us because of His love. As His child, He has blessed us and will continue to bless us. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience the blessing of God in our lives. Right now, in Jesus Christ, we are living a blessed life.

Paul at the beginning of Ephesians offers a note of praise to God for His blessings, and then shares some of them with us.

To be blessed by God is to have God bringing about good things in your life. When you are blessed by God, you walk in the favour of God. Blessings are the result of God’s mercy. He blesses you, not because you deserve it but because He loves you.

God uses the Holy Spirit to bring about His blessings and to work things for good in our lives.

When we see all the blessings the Holy Spirit has brought into our lives, our first response is that of praise and worship. Worshipping God is the natural response to what God has done in our lives.

Here are few of the blessings we received from God that are eternal and unseen from verses 4-14

  1. Chosen in Christ Verse 4 says that we are chosen in Christ. And being in Christ, when God sees us, it is as holy and blameless. I am far from holy and blameless in myself. But I am not judged on my own merits, but on my place in Christ.
  2. Verses 5-6 says God has predestined me to be adopted as His child. Why? Because He wanted to. It pleased Him. God owes me nothing. His actions toward me are based on His love and grace; and His desire.
  3. Verses 6-7 reminds us because we are in Christ that we have redemption and forgiveness. Apart from our inclusion in Christ, there is no forgiveness. And this redemption and forgiveness comes to us because of God’s grace. Not grudgingly given to us, but lavished upon us.
  4. Verses 8-10 says God’s Will was made known. Paul is referring to something that God had planned all along, but had not yet revealed to us. But now He has. God has revealed His purpose in creation to us. And that purpose is centered in Jesus Christ. It was to bring all things together under Christ. This is a major theme of this letter to the Ephesians, bringing Jew and Gentile together under one head; under Christ.
  5. Verse 11 reminds us that we are Chosen and Included in Christ

Paul and the earliest believers, were not simply chosen in Christ. They were chosen for a specific purpose. To take the gospel to the limits of the known world (Acts 9:15) and establish the church. By doing that, they brought praise to God. Paul is also careful to include those who came after him, through his faithfulness to God’s calling. We also were included in Christ when we heard the gospel message. Romans 10:14-15 says Hearing the gospel is an essential step before belief is possible.

  1. Verses 13-14 reminds us that we are Marked with A Seal

When we believe we are included in the kingdom of God. We were then marked with a seal by the Holy Spirit. The seal was a guarantee of authenticity, and proof against tampering. The Holy Spirit is also a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. This illustrates the security we have when we are in Christ. Our redemption, that the Holy Spirit secures, is drawing nigh. Praise God!

In Christ

Paul uses the expression 'in Christ' a few times in this section. We are blessed in Christ; chosen in Christ; have redemption in Christ; and are included in Christ. All of these happen, not because we follow Christ, but because we are in Him. We are in Christ because of God’s action (vs 4) and our belief (vs 13). And being in Christ, His experience becomes our experience. In Him, we have been crucified, buried and resurrected (Romans 6:1-10), and have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6).

Christ is central and everything to all that God is doing. We are nothing. But God was pleased to include us in Christ. And that makes all the difference in the world.

Prayer:

Father God we join with Paul in praising You for Your indescribable spiritual blessings that You have given to us in the Lord Jesus. We are so grateful. Thank You Lord Jesus that You gave up the glories of heaven to show us amazing love. We appreciate the many blessings that we have in You. Amen

Much love from Maurice and Margaret