Our Blessings in Christ

As we will get to the first two blessings, which are grace and peace. And so in Ephesians chapter 1, as we get to these blessings, I'd like for you to think on this subject with me, and that is that the blessings, the rich blessings of God, are like the keys to your house, the keys to your house. Those keys allow you to get in the house and to enjoy the wonderful blessings of a warm home, warm food, a comfortable bed, warm water. There's protection inside of your home. The immensity of the blessings that you enjoy inside of your home are because you have the keys, and today think of the blessings that are in Christ as keys to get inside and know what it is to have knowledge of and enjoy the wonderful rich treasure house of blessings. Ephesians truly is the treasure house of the New Testament. I say treasure house as if you open up a treasure box and see inside treasure, so much wealth, so much value that you cannot even comprehend what it is. It's going to take a long time for us to grow in our sanctification, to grow in our knowledge, to gain a true knowledge of what it is to be in Christ. The vibrant relationship is immense, and I am enjoying this study so far.

So read with me in Ephesians chapter 1, the first three verses, to help us get started today. "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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."

And let's pause for just a moment of prayer. Father, thank You for the immensity of these spiritual blessings, that which I confess we know not much of. And I pray that You would illuminate these blessings, this treasure house of rich blessings that which You have bestowed upon us and given us access to. Help us, dear God, I pray, to understand, in Christ's name, amen.

And so being in Christ has immense blessings and benefits. Now allow me, if you would please, to attempt to describe to you what some of these blessings are throughout the book of Ephesians. Ephesians helps to unlock what it is to have a vital relationship in Christ. It opens up the vitality of our union with Christ. The fullness of life in Christ is referred to as great riches and also as an inheritance in chapter 1, verse 11. And so to be in Christ is to have an inheritance that is great riches, an inheritance not like from your parents and what they could accumulate, from which they accumulated from their parents, from which they perhaps accumulated from their parents. The wealth that is transferred through the generations is nothing in comparison to the great riches that's described here, that are of Christ, and you are of Christ. And so we have a lot to comprehend.

It would be a lot to comprehend some of the great riches or wealth that perhaps the wealthy people in our world or country have inherited from generations passed down. You would have a lot of study to do to figure out how they earned that and kept that and how you could tap into that as well and keep it, not wasted. Here the riches of Christ are worth generationally understanding — what the history of this is, how we can understand and keep it and enjoy it. Not only is it referred to as great riches as an inheritance in verse 11, but also treasure and personal fullness in verse 23. Personal fullness. The opposite of being full is being empty, and I'm convinced that many Christians live empty rather than living full because they simply do not have a true knowledge of who God is. It's like knowing what's inside the house but yet you don't have the keys. Who in their right mind has ever purchased a house and signed the bottom line and got the keys to a new home and lived in the front yard?

Stayed in the front yard. But I'm convinced many Christians are front-yard Christians. They perhaps have been saved, but they are perhaps stale in their faith and they are not living in Christ. They are saved. They have the house, but they are not living in the blessings. They're not enjoying the warmth. They're not enjoying the comfort. They're not enjoying the security. They're not enjoying the fullness of life in Christ. And if you were to go around in your house and you count your blessings that are inside of the house — I'm talking about down to the toothpaste and the soap and the very small things that you enjoy — you can say that that is like a grain of sand in regards to understanding the vastness of the blessings that are in Christ. Do you think you know it all? I don't, but I'm going to try to gather more of what it is to be in Christ and explain it to us as we study the book of Ephesians.

So what it is to be full in Christ and not empty. And then as well they're referred to as spiritual blessings. Not only that, but the riches in verse 7. Look with me in chapter 1 and verse 7: "In Him," — that's in Christ. If your Bible is like mine, the word "Him" is capitalized and it's referring to Christ — "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." And so God's grace is rich. And then it's also referred to in verse 13: "We are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise." That guarantee of your salvation is based upon the effectiveness of Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross and Him giving you grace. Grace is of God. It's from God. It'll be given to you, and your security as a believer — for those who have truly repented of their sins and placed their faith and trust in Jesus — their security in Christ is based upon the Holy Spirit of God of promise. In verse 13 it talks about this: "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 promise."

And so that deposit in you — Colossians chapter 1, verses 27, 28, and 29 talk about the hope of Christ in you is the hope of glory. That deposit, that guarantee, is based upon Him and His credibility and what He has done. Nothing of what you can do to keep your salvation. You cannot lose your salvation. Once you're saved, you are always saved, and so you've been sealed with that Spirit of promise.

And then it is referred to as well, in being in Christ, as the spirit of wisdom in verse 17: "The Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom." We need God's wisdom, not mom-and-pop psychology or philosophy. We need God's wisdom to be able to live out what is true. You should be skeptical. You should think biblically. You should take everything to the Word of God and test it. You should say, "Chapter and verse, please." In Christ is to be discerning, to have this spirit of wisdom. And then verse 17 also talks about a full knowledge of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Now when we have this knowledge, a full knowledge of God, we are overwhelmed with His goodness and prompted to be grateful Christians no matter what.

And then also to be in Christ is to have the hope of His calling in verse 18, the riches of His glory in verse 18, the surpassing greatness of His power in verse 19. In verse 19 it says, "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power?" Paul attested to the fact that it was Christ in him that was the power. That power, that dynamite-like power, is something that's given to you. You should not take credit for anything that is effective in regards to ministry or sharing the gospel or making a disciple or anything, even down to the words of your prayer. You should say, "Thank you, Lord, for giving me the words to be able to say." The power that comes from God equips us as believers to live godly lives. This surpassing greatness of His power is being in Christ.

And not only that, in chapter 2, verse 4, it talks about the love of God. In chapter 2, verse 4: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us." You see, while we were yet sinners, He decided to die for us and to extend His love to us. We've been extended a love that is not our own. Something foreign — His love entered into us. We know not love, but God is love, and He gave us this understanding of what love is. And your ability to be loving is a testimony to God in you as the hope of glory. You cannot love, truly love, without Christ. And to be in Christ is to be truly loving. We know this.

And then it's also referred to as being alive together with Christ. In chapter 2, verse 5, it talks about being alive. He made us alive even when we were dead in our transgressions. He made us alive together with Christ. Not only do we see here that sovereign salvation is evidenced by the fact that He made us alive — you did not contribute to making yourself alive. Like Lazarus, being dead, was made alive. You, being dead in your trespasses, a sinner — He made you alive. He regenerated your soul. And then after He made you alive, He makes you together with Christ. This is all by His grace. To be together in Christ is because you have been made alive, and now you are having the sense of togetherness. That is more addicting than anything else in this world. The fellowship of the brethren is a strengthening aspect that you cannot do without. That's one of the reasons why we are commanded to gather together — not only to worship God and learn His Word and keep the ordinances and to give and to pray, all the ordinances, all the commands, all of the things, the purposes of the church in Acts chapter 2, but also in Acts chapter 2, verses 42 and following, fellowship is one of the key aspects of the local church. And so we are made alive and then we are together. We experience that togetherness in Christ.

And then you see that you have been saved by grace and raised with Him, seated with Him in heavenly places. And this is also referred to as surpassing riches in verses 6 and 7. And then kindness. And then also in Him is to be a recipient of a gift of God. Read with me in chapter 2, verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." You didn't deserve it. You didn't think of it. You didn't design it. You didn't ask for it. God gave it to you. It was an unworthy, unmerited gift that God bestowed upon you. And now that you have been given this gift, it is your duty to understand what all this gift entails. It'll take you the rest of your life, and I'm convinced the rest of eternity, to understand the immensity of our Christ and King. This is a gift that keeps us seeking Him. Every time you discover something more about Christ, it makes you want to come back for more and more and more and more. And as you study God's Word and try to plumb the depths of His Word, you may stumble upon some thick and rich theological concepts. And then as you keep studying, you realize how much you do not know. And then you will be dumbfounded by the very simplest of verses like "trust in the Lord" or "seek first the kingdom of God" and what these are all about is the most important. You will be humbled and then prompted to be a grateful Christian.

This is His workmanship. Look with me in chapter 2, verse 10: "For we are His workmanship." Christ is working on you. Do not be in a rush when it comes to comprehending Christ. Just seek Him with all of your heart. You don't have to get to an end destination and figure it all out, unless you try and frustrate yourself. Enjoy the journey, I like to say. As you are learning about Christ, enjoy your Bible study. Enjoy learning. Enjoy studying. Enjoy the journey of getting to know Jesus Christ, because He is working in you. You cannot be worked over and completed overnight. It's just impossible. Christ has designed you to be the workmanship of Christ, and He has spiritual mile markers for your life this week, next week, next year, and so on. And He's not going to cram it all into one week or one Bible study. You can't stay up all night or all month and get all that Christ has for you. He will disperse who He is to you incrementally. You just need to be faithful. You need to be diligently studying God's Word, learning how to rightly divide it. And as you are stretched, you will then be in awe of Him and you will be walking in Him. You will be truly enjoying life in Christ — just like when you walk into your house on a stormy day and you are able to get dry, get a warm cup of tea or coffee, and to sit on a comfortable couch and just simply enjoy the comforts of home. Being in Christ is like having keys to walking inside of your home, to a very, very small degree. And so we are His workmanship. He is working us over. He is working and molding and shaping us into something that is usable and glorifying unto Him.

And so as Christians, we should not seek peace in places other than Christ. You follow me? Christians who are not living in Christ and doing things His way are trying to find peace as if they are living in the front yard. I guarantee you one night of swatting mosquitoes and getting no sleep underneath the humid air in central Florida, and one day outside of Christ, will leave you miserable and grumpy and awful to be around. The circumstances will work you over in a negative way and you will be worn out and frustrated and you will be thinking to yourself, "Man, this is awful." It's the difference between walking inside and being nurtured by your body and being comfortable and being healthy. That is being in Christ. I hope that this metaphor helps you understand, to a small degree, what it is to have true peace, and that is in Christ.

Christ is our peace. You see that in the text: "For He Himself is our peace." Not drugs, not sex, not alcohol, not binge watching TV, not seeking anything outside of Christ — it's in Christ where true peace is. The lasting peace that will set you stable. Everything else is destabilizing.

And then when you know Christ, according to verse 14, you have true access to the Father. In verse 18 it says, "For through Him" — it's through Christ — "we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father." You have access to God through Christ, and you in Christ, with access to Christ, to be a fellow citizen, a fellow household member, that is growing into a dwelling, a sanctuary. Listen to me. This idea that Christ sets before us of being in Him — He gives us three illustrations: citizenship, to be a household, and then to be a dwelling. In verse 19 it says, "So then you are no longer strangers" — okay, outside the house, strangers that can't come in, you're no longer unsaved, you're in Christ — "you're no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and you are of God's household." When we get to this verse — I don't know, in about a year or two — we will study these metaphors and really see what it is to be a household of God. In verse 20 it says, "Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple of the Lord." You are God's dwelling. You are the holy temple. You are the church, and you are growing. You're being sanctified. You are becoming more aware of what it is to be in Christ as He is growing and molding you. This is amazing.

This produces boldness in Christ. If you flip over to chapter 3 and verse 12: "In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." Our boldness is found in Christ. And when you are walking in Christ, when you are right with Christ, you're like a little lion who was bold, the Proverbs say. You can go into a Masonic Lodge and share the gospel without shrinking back. You're like the Apostle Paul, who can go in the midst of the Pharisees and the Sadducees with the threat of being kicked out of the Sanhedrin and share Christ and Christ alone, and tell them that the law was a tutor to see that you should be saved in Christ. You're not following the law to be saved. You have the law to show you that you are imperfect. That's boldness — to be able to show someone the error of their way and point them to Christ. And we have this when we are in Christ. When you're a front-yard Christian, you're a scaredy-cat. When you're living outside of the blessings of Christ, you do not have the blessing of boldness. You're shy. You're outside of His empowerment. You're saved. You have the keys, but you are not embracing and walking. You're not abiding. All of these concepts are through and through the Bible. John chapter 15 is all about abiding in Christ and what it is to be a branch that's been grafted into the vine. You have to be grafted in and abiding in to bear fruit. Otherwise you are not bearing any fruit.

And so we're growing into a holy sanctuary. This dwelling, this inheritance, this partaking — this produces boldness and then also confidence, the Bible says in chapter 3, verse 12. And then I love chapter 3, verse 16, because it brings you to a strengthened position in Christ. Chapter 3, verse 16 says that He would grant to you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power. If you feel inwardly strong in the Lord and the power of His might, it's because you are abiding in Him. That is His outpouring. He's like a living water. He's in you, coming at you. Whatever is in your heart is going to come out of your mouth. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 12, verse 37: "From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." And so if you are speaking forth Christ in the gospel, this is because you've been faithful to put it in there. You've got to continue to review what the gospel is. You've got to continue to review who Christ is and who you are in Christ. And when you have learned, it settles into your heart and becomes volition, becomes motion, becomes ambition, becomes motive. These things are lodged in your heart when you truly are seeking Christ and studying His Word. There cannot be anything else for you than abiding in Christ. And if it's not true, you're not going to say it. If it's not right, you're not going to do it. And in fact, you take advantage of the opportunities that God opens for you and you follow through with Holy Spirit boldness. That's what it is to be in Christ. You cannot enjoy these blessings of boldness and genuineness unless you take those keys and open the door and walk on in and learn of every little aspect.

Just take your time, like one who has never ever known what it is to live in a house before. Picture yourself as a Bedouin out in the deserts of Israel, who has never owned a home, never been inside, never seen utensils before, never seen a toilet, never seen a shower. And you come in and you learn of every little aspect of the home. "What is this?" "That's where you turn the AC down." And you'll be comfortable and go to sleep. Learn of all of these intricate details of what it is to be in Christ. These are immense gifts. You will be bold. You will be confident. You will be strengthened. You will be rooted. To be firmly rooted and grounded in Christ. In chapter 3, verse 17, it says, "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love." You see, in verse 14 of chapter 4 it says, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men." You're no longer a child in the faith. You are a strong, bold mother or father in the faith that can't be tricked. You're sound and able to interpret the Bible. Okay? These immense blessings are in Christ.

You should not say to yourself that the blessings of this world equal the blessings of God. Okay? There's a massive denominational movement out there that truly believes — I'll just call it for what it is — the Church of God in Christ, COGIC. They truly believe that physical blessings on this earth equal God's blessings upon your life, and when you do not have those blessings on this earth — cars, nice houses, good income, health — when you do not have those, you do not have the blessing of God. Therefore there's something wrong in your life. Oh, that's just simply not true. That'll cause rottenness to your soul. Don't fall for anything that is not sound doctrine. No matter who says it, study Christ for yourself and enjoy life in Him. Gain Christ. That's the goal. Not gaining cash. Gain Christ. Not cash. Christ is the goal, and He will pay for what He orders. I promise you, when the will of God is happening in your life, you walk by faith and not by sight, and He will provide for it. I promise you.

And so now, if I may conclude with a prayer of blessing taken from the Scriptures here in chapter 1, would you pray with me? Lord, I do give thanks for Your immense blessings, and I thank You, dear Jesus, for our church and for giving us Your wisdom. God, I thank You for a true knowledge that You are revealing to us of who You are and how to live in Christ. And God, I pray that You would continue to open the eyes of the blind. I pray, God, You will continue to refine our hearts and enlighten us as to what it is to truly live in You. Help us to know Your power. Help us to know Your greatness. Help us to be filled with Your fullness, dear God. And if anyone here, according to chapter 2, verse 1, be dead, I pray, God, that You would make them alive, according to verse 5. I pray, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that You would grant them comprehension of their sin, repentance of their sin, sorrow for their sin, and then faith and belief in Your substitutionary act to take on the punishment of their sin on the cross for all who would believe. God, I pray that if anyone be dead here in their trespasses, if they are not alive in Christ, if they're not saved — wonderfully saved — that this is a strange message to them. I pray, God, that You would save their soul. Grant them repentance, I pray, dear God. Give them a true agony for having caused You to have to go to the cross — an innocent one, an innocent, pure lamb, sacrificed, beaten, battered, and bruised, dear God. Help us to comprehend these concepts, these spiritual concepts, so that they can live eternally with You, dear God. Help us all here, dear Jesus. If there's one not yet saved, that You would save the soul that is unsaved. Father, it's by grace through faith that they're saved, and I ask that You would save souls. Help to sanctify them in Your Word. May they move then forward from being saved to belonging to this dear congregation. May they join and be faithful to You, like You have prompted Hosea in the Old Testament to be faithful to his unfaithful wife. May they not be unfaithful, but may they be faithful, dear God. We're called not to be unfaithful Gomer's, but faithful Hosea's. God, I pray that You would help us to be as faithful as You have been throughout all of the centuries and all the ages. I pray that You would help us in our faithfulness — not only to be saved and sanctified and joined to Your church — but help us to sharpen our skills in Bible study, in our 3D Bible study method, to be able to know You more, so that we can go and make disciples. This spiritual growth process, dear God, is what You have given to us to embark upon, to challenge every believer to be fully engaged, to be fully representing You, to doing everything that we can while we can. Thank You, dear Jesus, for today and the message, and I pray that it has been glorifying and honoring unto You. And it's in Jesus' name that we do pray. Amen.