Living a Life of Blessings Part 2
By Pastor Matt Black
29 January 2006
Lord's Day Evening
Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”
euloghtov o yeov kai pathr tou kuriou hmwn ihsou cristou o euloghsav hmav en pash eulogia pneumatikh en toiv epouranioiv cristw
Introduction: Open your Bibles to Paul’s
letter to the Ephesians. This morning we saw the Strategist, the Scope,
and the Supplier of our blessings. We need to see God’s sovereignty in every
gift we have, we need to see that He has given us everything we need for
godliness already. And then we
need to live a life dominated by the Holy Spirit.
Let’s
look again at verse 3
“Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”
IV. We need to see the Substance of the blessings
“blessings” –what exactly are the?
A.
These
blessings are not primarily material
in nature. That is, the agenda God has
behind His gifts have to do with another world altogether. So, the gospel does not promise material
blessings as its primary benefit,[1]
but points us those things of a more lasting nature. Do God’s blessings sometimes result in
material benefits? Well, sure! He’s promised that we will never see “the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). He has promised to “supply all [our] needs
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). So yes, while they are not material in
nature, we can be sure that God will take care of us.
And yet we have to be very careful that we not equate
material success with God’s blessings.
There may be someone here, and you are praying for the financial security
of a good job. You may have a job offer
that comes along. And this job means
greater financial blessing, but it also means that you’re out of church on the
Lord’s Day much of the time. So you take
the job, and as time goes on you begin to neglect your walk with God. Before
you know it you are having some serious spiritual problems in your life. Obviously now you don’t have the financial
hardships you used to have, but your spiritual life has grown cold. You might be tempted to say, “Well, I know
God blessed me with that job,” but would be making a serious error. God would never bless you with something
that takes you away from Him. That would
not be a blessing at all, but a curse.
Listen, there are things more valuable than money; things more valuable
than houses and cars and clothes! And
the greatest thing you’ll ever give to your children are not material and
financial in nature. Don’t cash in your
family for a job that takes you away from God.
What do we live for anyway? So
you have less money—what is more valuable than a Dad who loves God and is an
example of humble obedience to God? Do
you see that all we need is in Christ?
All we need is given by the Holy Spirit of God? So these blessings are not primarily material
in nature.
B.
We
also see that these blessings are always in accordance with our further sanctification. What God gives will not lead us away from
God, it will lead us to God. These
blessings will not lead us into disobedience, but will equip us for a life of
obedience—they will not lead us to wickedness, but will pave the way for
holiness. These are the kinds of gifts
that God gives. They come right from the
place where God dwells. These are spiritual blessings. And everything we need to be drawn to
holiness and righteousness and obedience—that’s what we are given in these
spiritual blessings. God does not give
us wicked things. God does not give us
things that violate His Word. God does
not give us things that lead us into spiritual coldness and compromise.
It is sad, but there are people who call themselves
Christians who become dissatisfied in their marriage, and they begin coveting
someone who is not their spouse who they think might be better to them, and
they end up getting a divorce and committing adultery by marrying another. And they want to say that God has blessed
their marriage and pretend like God is in favor of something like that. That is not the case. God is not in favor of you leaving your
spouse. That is wickedness. God would never bless something like
that. God’s blessings always lead us to
further sanctification!
C.
These
blessings are given to the child of God at his spiritual birth. At the moment
of salvation we are “sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
We are sons of God, and we get a bit of our inheritance early! And “because [we] are sons, God hath sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians
4:6). So everything you need to fulfill
the responsibilities of your job everyday—you have it in Christ Jesus. Everything you need to raise your children in
godliness, and to love your spouse to the glory of God—you have it in these
spiritual blessings! These blessings are
not obtained by going to college, or by being raised in a Christian home, or by
being saved ten or twenty or thirty years.
No, you have them now because they were given to you at the time of your
spiritual birth into God’s family. These blessings arrive when the
child of God is born again, and “baptized into the Spirit.” At that moment the
believer is “blessed” with “all spiritual blessings.”
So we
have seen the Sovereign, the Scope, the Supplier, and the Substance of our
blessings.
V. Now let us consider the Sphere of blessings: heavenly places.
“God… hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”
These abundant, unlimited blessings from God are in the heavenly places. What does that mean?
A.
These
blessings are locational. They take place in the “heavenly
places.” This does not mean that these
blessings can only be experienced in heaven.
We don’t have to wait until heaven to experience these gifts from God. Neither are these blessings for special
people who have elite theological knowledge.
It’s not as if these blessings are only for those who have arrived
spiritually. That would make you feel
pretty frustrated. God could you bring
these blessings down a little lower? I’m
not high and holy yet! Why’d you have to
put them up so high? That’s not what
this means. So you don’t need to have
arrived at complete sanctification to experience them, and neither do you have
to wait until you get to heaven to have them.
These blessings are in “heavenly places,” but more than heaven itself is
included. The heavenly places encompass
the entire supernatural realm of God, His complete domain, and the full extent
of His divine operation. These blessings
come to us, not due to any connection we have with the natural realm, but are
completely dependent on our connection with the supernatural realm. That is, these blessings are not connected to
our birth, our natural talents, or our good looks. It’s not connected to our job or even to the
church you’ve grown up in. These
blessings come from the place where God dwells—the location is wherever God
is!! In the spiritual realm that we cannot see.
God is not confined to a place like
B.
Secondly,
these blessings are political. Now that we are saved, our citizenship is in
heaven. We are citizens of another
country. Turn to Philippians 3:20.
Philippians 3:20
For our conversation (politeuma politeuma- [pol-i-TOO-mah] literally “our realm of governance” or citizenship”)
is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Dear
brethren, George Bush is our president, but our King is in heaven! We have no King but Jesus. We pay our taxes, and we are responsible
citizens, but King Jesus calls all the shots in our life, and he rules over all
people. Our rule comes from Him.
Whatever He says, that’s what we do!
This
world is not our home. We are as Hebrews
11:13 calls us, “pilgrims and strangers on the earth.”
As Christians
we live a “paradoxical, two-level existence—a dual citizenship. While we remain on earth, we are citizens of
earth. But in Christ our primary and
infinitely more important citizenship is in heaven. Christ is our Lord and King, and we are
citizens of His realm, the heavenly places.”[2] Fix your eyes on the author and finisher of
our faith. Let us live, not like we’re
going to be here forever, but like we’re going to be there forever, as you live like that
then you will experience the fullness and the richness of all the blessings
that you have in Christ. But how exactly
do we do that? How do we take hold of
our true citizenship? Well, it will not
come if you lay back and take it easy in the Christian life, that’s for
sure! That brings us to our next
extremely vital point:
C.
These
blessings are volitional. Though we are citizens of heaven by birth, we
have to enlist in the Lord’s army by will! The Christian life is an agony! It is crucifixion! We need to fight for these blessings!
Look at Colossians 3--
Colossians 3:1-3
If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Isaiah
26:3
Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee.
As you
seek earthly treasure, you choke out the richness of the experience of your
heavenly treasure, but as you set your mind and your thoughts on Christ and
heaven, you can experience all that Christ is—the well-being that His presence
gives in the midst of the storm of life! —When we cling to Christ, we then have
the moral stamina in the midst of a messed up world. Evil confronts us in the workplace, the mall,
the supermarket, on the radio or television.
Are you caught up in this world?
Then you will be caught up in its evil.
But if your eyes are set on heaven, you are always telling yourself how
worthless and cheap the things of this world are. Stereos and ceiling fans and microwaves
break. Computers and software and
technology all need to be upgraded. But
the blessings of Christ never deteriorate!
Matthew 6:19-21
Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal: 20 But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.
Where’s
your treasure?
Ok, so we
need to seek after the things of our heavenly kingdom. How do we do this? It is an agony and a fight!
We are
going to do a word study on the Christian life.
The word is:
agwnizomai agonizomai ag-o-nid’-zom-ahee;--It means-- to struggle, to
compete for a prize, or to contend with an adversary:— fight, labor fervently,
strive.
1 Corinthians 9:25
And every
man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
Colossians 1:29
Whereunto I also labour, striving according to
his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of
you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God.
1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold
on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good
profession before many witnesses.
We see
that Christ taught this doctrine also!
Matthew 16:24
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?
John 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Are you ready to agonize for these
blessings? Are you ready to fight for
these blessings? Are you ready to take up
your cross and be crucified for these blessings? Are you ready to be as a corn of wheat and
fall into the ground and die for these blessings? O, the blessings in Christ we have are worth
our lives! Let us deny our selves, and
let us lose our lives in Christ! Our
lives are hid in Christ with God!!!
Ok, so
now we know what the blessings are—we understand their Substance, and we
understand their Sphere—that is, where they are and how they are gained and
maintained, but how can we know that these blessings will truly last
forever? How can we believe that if we
give our lives in totality to cause and purpose of God, that these blessings
are truly eternal and infinite in nature?
Our next
point answers that question.
VI.
The
Surety of the blessings: in Christ
“Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”
“It is in Christ that God blesses us”[3]
and never apart from Him! Paul uses phrases like “in Christ” “of
Christ” “through Him” “in Christ Jesus” constantly. In fact, the words “In Christ” appear over 90
times in our New Testament, but it appears many more times than that if you
count similar phrases like “In Him” or “In Jesus Christ” or “in the
beloved.” This designation is Paul’s way
of identifying the Christian and pointing to our identity, our union, and our
security in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A. So we see first of all that the
phrase “In Christ” refers to our Identity. People are searching for identity! “We hear much today about people who are
having identity crises. They can’t seem
to figure out who they are. If you have
been saved by the grace of God that ought never to be true of you. You are in ‘in Christ’ which in and of itself
is enough to give you all the identity you could possibly need.”[4] We are called Christians, that is we are
imitators of Christ. These days we want
to “be like Mike” or be like whatever fad or celebrity is popular. Your identity is not found in what kind of
car you drive or what club you belong to.
It’s really insignificant what your golf score is or your bowling
average is. Neither does it really matter
a whole lot where you live or who you know.
What makes you who you are is Christ!
I remember a Christian lady I met in an airport. She was reading a Chinese Bible. I could not even say hello to her, but I
somehow communicated to her with my hands and gestures that I was a believer! You see all our claims to earthly identity
pass away when we realize our identity in Christ. It didn’t matter that this woman was Chinese,
and I was American. We both spoke the
same spiritual language, and we both were citizens of the same heavenly
kingdom! Our identity is in Christ!
B. In Christ what we also have is Unity.
We are in Christ, and as I Corinthians 6:17 says “he that
is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”
We have a marvelous Union
in Christ—these blessings are experienced as we experience our union with
Christ. Our unity as believers is more
than just a common agreement. It’s not just
that we all believe the same thing, it is that we believe have all believe
“into Christ.” Christ is our life! We have that in common! “In Christ” are the two most important words
in the Bible. If you are in Him, you
have life. If you are outside of Him,
you are lost forever.
1 John 5:12
He that hath the Son hath life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Christ says that our union with Him is what brings us
together in this assembly of believers here tonight. Christ said in His high priestly prayer
John 17:21
That they all may be one; as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one [UNITED] in
us
Our union comes by “believing into Christ”
Look at this doctrine—anytime you see that we are to
believe “on” the name of Christ, it has the idea of believing into Christ.
John 7:31
And many of the people believed on him
Acts 16:31
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
1 John 3:23
And this is his commandment, That
we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
You see, it’s not just a benefits package containing
forgiveness, new life, new hope, etc.! When
we believe “on” Christ, we believe “into” Him!
We receive Christ Himself. We are
united to Him by the Holy Spirit so that all
that He has achieved for us becomes ours.
When we believe into Christ…
1. My will is dominated by Christ—“not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Christ is the “King of Kings” and “Lord of lords” and the “God of gods.” He is the “Alpha and Omega,” the “Beginning and the Ending,” the “First and the Last,” and the “Blessed and Only Potentate,” that is, He’s the Undisputed Ruler (Deuteronomy 10:17; Revelation 1:8, 11; 1 Timothy 6:15). All of Christ’s title’s demand that our wills be subordinate to Him! He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
2. My life is “hid in Christ” with God (Colossians 3:3). What are your goals and plans? Is it your life, or God’s after all? Are you calling the shots, making the decisions, directing your path? Or is your life “ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23)?
In a sense, we have died with Christ, were buried and
raised with Him, ascended with Him, reign with Him, and will be with Him when
He comes in glory (cf. Colossians 3:1ff).
C. In Christ we have Security. Turn over to John 10.
1. Christ’s Sheep are Protected.
John 10:22-30
And it was at
2. Christ’s Sheep Persevere in the faith.
1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they
were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have
continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us.
We maintain that though the way is dark and though dangers
lurk on every hand, the child of God shall be preserved and shall persevere
until New Jerusalem descends from the heavens.
Why is this? Because we have
great will power? Because we are
phenomenal Christians? No, not at all. We are “in Christ.” We persevere because Christ holds us!
Jude 24-25
Now unto him that is able to keep
[GUARD, IMPRISON, PROTECT] you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
“In Christ” we have “all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places”!
Conclusion: Are you living in the spiritual
realm today? Are you living and walking
in the power of the Holy Spirit? Is your
life, your will, and your all given to the blessings found only in Christ? What is life without the blessing of
God? The greatest men that walked the
face of the earth, and yet did not know the blessings of life in Christ were
truly men who were most miserable. Let’s
think about this in closing. Alexander
the Great was not satisfied, even when he had completely subdued the nations of
his time. He wept because there were no more worlds to conquer, and he died at
an early age in a state of debauchery. Hannibal, who filled three bushels with
the gold rings taken from the knights he had slaughtered, committed suicide by
swallowing poison. Few cared about his passing, and he left this earth
completely unmourned. Julius Caesar—it was said that he stained ‘his garments
in the blood of one million of his foes,’ conquering 800 cities, only to be
stabbed by his best friends at the scene of his greatest triumph on the floor
of the Roman Sentate. And then we see Napoleon, the feared conqueror, after
being the thorn in the side of all of
Closing Hymn: 258 There is a Fountain
Filled with Blood
[1] Sinclair
B. Ferguson, Let’s Study Ephesians, Banner of Truth (
[2] MacArthur, 9.
[3]
[4] Milton
E. Jones, Pastor of the
[5] From 19th-century Bible scholar G. S. Bowes.