1997-12

SERMON NOTES

TITLE: OUR PRESENT INHERITANCE AS THE CHURCH

TEXT: Ephesians 1:1-22

INTRODUCTION: Let's enter a time machine, called our minds. Have you ever let your mind wander, and wondered how things were at some point in past history?

Now, let's travel back for something over 19 centuries, and go back to the city of Rome, then the capital of the world. Some 35 years have passed since the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father.

It is now a troublesome time for the church. The great missionary and apostle of the church, Paul, is now a prisoner of the imperial government. He regards himself as an "ambassador in bonds," with the job of bringing Christianity even to the household of Caesar (Ephesians 6:20). This is possibly the time when Paul lived for 2 whole years in his own rented house, with a soldier who kept him (Acts 28:30); it could also be the time when he was in a secluded cell with only Luke, his trusted physician in attendance, waiting and longing for Timothy to bring him a cloak and some parchments (2 Timothy 4:11-13).

It was a time of trouble. Paul was soon to be beheaded. Within the next 10 years, Rome would sack the city of Jerusalem, killing thousands of innocent Jews, not leaving a stone of the city unturned. They would totally destroy the Temple, and scatter the Jews to the ends of the earth.

In this time of trouble, the church itself was known as a troublesome institution; a sect comprised mostly of ignorant and unlearned men, women, and children. The church was meeting in homes of its persecuted members; it had no church buildings, no parsonages, no earthly possessions, no headquarters buildings, no buses or vans. It really had nothing but a strong, vibrant faith in the risen Savior, the Lord of their lives.

In this time of trouble, Paul sits down and pens his letter to the church in Ephesus, of which our text now is a part. In this, he has a message to deliver to the church which was in so much trouble. What did Paul share with them?

Paul talks much in this short passage of being "in Christ." This means that the believer now lives and acts in the sphere of Jesus. His new environment is union with Christ. Believers now have conscious communion with the Lord, and the relationship is so close that it is as if Christ is seen living in them. This is the most important thing in Christian experience. Union with Christ is a gift of God through faith.

He begins by reminding them he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, by God's choosing and design. He tells this church that they are faithful in the Lord, and wishes them grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he gets into the body of his message.

I. In Christ, the church blesses or praises God (vv 3-6). Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Praise is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace."

These verses give us the first portion of Paul's message to this church. In these few verses, Paul makes several points very clear.

1. We are to praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for what He has done for us; all of these blessings are "in Christ.".

2. We are to praise Him because He has given us every spiritual blessing, "in Christ.".

3. We are to praise Him because He chose us before the creation of the world in Him, that is, "in Christ."

4. We are to praise Him because He chose us, "in Christ," to be holy; to be blameless in His sight.

5. We are to praise Him because, "in Christ," He predestined us to be adopted as His children, according to His pleasure and will.

6. We are to praise Him, because, "in Christ," He gave us His grace, freely by the sacrifice of the One He loves.

Paul, though in a hard place himself, though life was troublesome at best, was able to instruct the church to bless or praise God. How was he able to do this? Because Paul was aware that God has chosen us before the foundation of the world, "in Christ," and therefore the outcome of our race is assured. We will be victorious.

Paul was no common or ordinary prisoner; he had been a prisoner before, and had been divinely delivered; but that was not to be this time. Here, in the wetness and darkness of his prison cell, he sees, by the eyes of faith, a new day dawning. It is to be a day of receiving a settlement, an inheritance. He is now of royal lineage, an heir to a throne.

Even in prison, Paul enjoys his inheritance. He carries his down payment inside his body. The Holy Spirit of promise had been given to him (and also to us), as the earnest, the down payment of our inheritance. He is an adopted son of the King of all kings, through the redemption that Christ has purchased for us.

William Law, in his Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life writes, "Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who received everything as an instance of God's goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it."

II. In Christ, the church is redeemed (vv 7-8). Paul now talks to the church about what they have received through the redemption of Christ. Here Paul, though now a prisoner, remembers a worse imprisonment, that by sin. He recalls the depravity and harshness of sin as his master. He in other places referred to himself as the chief of sinners, the slave of all slaves, who persecuted the church under the direction of his master then, Satan. He had kicked hard against the this Christ, who had now redeemed him.

1. The price for his redemption was the blood of Christ. He was redeemed "in Christ."

2. The forgiveness of sins was his, "in Christ, " in accordance with God's rich grace.

3. The grace of God was not given to him in a miserly fashion, but was lavished on him. It was given with all wisdom and understanding, "in Christ."

Paul rejoices in his redemption; the blood of Christ, God's only son, had been effective. His sins were forgiven, and now he was being given wisdom and understanding which the world cannot know. He was now spiritual royalty, a child of the King, and was able to understand because of his new standing. He was now receiving revelations from God, to be passed on to the church.

III. In Christ, the church receives revelation (vv 9-12). Paul, even in prison, is exulting over the revelations he was receiving. He had received revelation of a mystery which had been hidden through the ages. He was able to rejoice in spite of the damp, dark cell he was in.

1. Paul says that God was revealing what His will was, what His good pleasure was in the life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

2. Paul says that God was going to do all that He intended, when times reached their fulfillment. At that time, He would bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head, Christ.

3. Paul says that our inheritance is secure; it is certain beyond all circumstances. This is because God has predestined it, according to His own plan. We receive this by trusting "in Christ."

4. Paul indicates that God's work in our lives is to result in the praise of His glory.

5. Paul tells us of the personal nature of this inheritance, when he says that we were included, when we heard and responded to the message of Christ in believing faith.

6. Paul says we have received a "down payment," an "earnest deposit" on what God plans for us. This God did by giving us the promised Holy Spirit as a seal, guaranteeing that our inheritance is sure for all eternity.

As we realize what this earnest means, we will be filled with joy, ecstasy and fulfillment. God moves in our hearts; the Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are God's children. The Spirit in us is our own personal guarantee, written on the tables of our hearts. It is good for eternity.

Some children had a beautiful white pet lamb, which was stolen from them, and sold to the butcher. The children discovered the lamb first as it was being led to the slaughter. They tried to get possession of it, but the butcher would not give it to them. A gentleman, seeing the grief of the children, said, "Give them the lamb: I'll pay for him." The price was paid, the lamb was saved. This is redemption. The lamb was helpless: the children could not redeem it, but a generous man did. This is what Christ has done for us.

CONCLUSION: "Count your blessings!" That is excellent counsel, but sometimes we have to recognize them first! A man who owned a small estate wished to sell it. Sending for a real estate agent, he asked him to write an advertisement describing the house and land. When the ad was ready, the agent took it to the owner and read it to him. "Read that again," said the owner. The agent read the description of the estate once more. "I don't think I will sell after all," said the owner. "I have been looking for an estate like that all my life, and I did not know that I owned it!" Count your blessings -- yes, but start by asking God to open your eyes to see your possessions in Christ. Begin by recognizing all that you have in Christ. That will change your entire perspective and enable you to praise God for what you have.

We pray with Paul that "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory" grant to us the fullness of our present redemption.

As we live in a world of trouble, turmoil, and confusion, may God grant to us the Spirit of wisdom. We do not so much need the wisdom or knowledge of this world, nor an encyclopedia of man's knowledge, nor a computer database of fact, trivial or important; rather, we need the knowledge of God's precious Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

When faced with life situations as hopeless as possible, and as dark as midnight; when illness strikes ruthlessly in our bodies; when our children and others look at us with longing for a word of hope, may God grant us the hope of His calling.

In a day when our money is all spent, and our home is about to be sold or taken away; when the food has all been eaten, and our clothes are worn out, may God give to us the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. May we truly know the riches of the glory of God.

After temptation has brought us to our knees, may God allow us to know the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe. When Satan comes to us in the wilderness of pain or suffering, may we know His great power. After long travailing hours in prayer, with no results in the life of a wayward child, when there is no news from the far country, and no prodigal on the horizon on the way home, may we know His power. When Satan has our loved ones in his clutches, bound by alcohol or drugs, may we know God's power to deliver. We must know the exceeding greatness of the power of God. That power brought Christ from the dead; it is resurrection power. May we know it today.

When we are about to be engulfed by the troubled, icy seas of life, may the Son who rose on the first Easter shine life and warmth into our souls. May the earth shake at His presence as the stone rolls away from the mouth of the place where we are bound. May we be raised, like Him, to newness of life.

We look for, and long for, the day when we will know the power of his ascension; for the time when the things of this world which weight us down are taken away, and we ascend to be with the Lord. God, allow us to see that day.

May God allow us to know the power of His exaltation; when everything, all principalities, all powers, all might, all dominions, are made servant to Him. May we be exalted above all the things that are great and mighty in this world, not because of who we are, but because of whose we are. We are His, and He is ours. These are rejoicing words. We belong to the King of kings, the Lord of lords; to that One whose name is above all in this world, and in the world to come.

Joshua one day fought against the Amorites, and prayed that the son would stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon. The five kings, all his enemies, hid themselves in the cave of Makkedah. But at the end of the battle, Joshua had the cave opened, and called them out. He then told the captains, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet on the necks of them (Joshua 10:24).

To those here who are scared, who are running from the enemy, who may perhaps be in hiding from the enemy, hear the words of our Commander. Let Christ bring forth all your enemies, and speak this word to them: "He has put all things under his feet." This is our present, glorious inheritance. Let us live in this inheritance.

Osage Gospel Lighthouse, Linn, MO 3-16-97 am