Blessed Be God (Ephesians 1:1-3)
We have been diving deep into many Old Testament passages throughout the last year, and I think the Old Testament leaves us feeling defeated. We may feel like our sins are impossible as the list piles high above our heads. But studying so much Old Testament also leaves us wanting more. Especially when all of these promises are being made, and we don't see them coming true. This year's goal is to focus on the blessings we have in Christ and the promises that are assured to us.
No book in the New Testament expresses our blessings better than Ephesians. So, we will take a break from book overviews and do an in-depth study into the blessings of being a part of Christ's church. I hope that our study of the Old Testament will give us an even greater appreciation of the New Testament. As we study this book, we will feast on "the riches of his grace." Doesn't that sound awesome? We need to go from feeling defeated to feeling victorious. Then, in the second half of the book, we will come back down to earth and see our need to work harder than ever to glorify God.
Ephesians
The book of Ephesians is saturated with a description of God's grace toward us. The key to understanding the first three Chapters is to watch the movement of the phrase "In Christ." This phrase is describing the church as the body of Christ. Our greatest blessing is to be grafted into the body of Christ. This alludes to twenty-four times in the first three chapters. Paul says those who are "In Christ" are blessed with every spiritual blessing, made alive together with Christ, reigning with Christ, redeemed in Christ, forgiven in Christ, united with heaven in Christ, sanctified in Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit for an inheritance in Christ, given power and strength in Christ, and brought near to God by the blood of Christ when we are in Christ. I plan to dissect each of these blessings over the next few months to build us up. Then, we will start with the second half of the book.
After Paul told us how blessed and loved we are, he tells us we need to live like we deserve those blessings. That is a tall order. The phrase you will find repeated through this section is "Walk."
He says, "I... urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." So, after he lays out how much God has done for us, he shows us how we ought to respond with a godly life. This section details the love and gentleness we should have. He tells us to walk as the body of Christ with the power of holiness. We should have a purity of our speech and desires. He also tells us to walk in the love of Christ. So he describes how God's blessings should transform our relationships to line up with God's design. Then, in the end, he tells us to prepare for a spiritual battle against the forces of wickedness. We will get into all of this in greater detail in the coming months.
To The Faithful
Now, let's start with the first verses of the book.
Ephesians 1:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice that this letter is to the faithful saints in Christ Jesus who live in Ephesus. Ephesus is estimated to have been pretty close to Mobile in population, with around 200k-250k people. It was a city in Asia Minor that was known for idol worship, like most Gentile cities. But this letter is to a select group of faithful saints.
Notice that saint is the name of ordinary Christians in Ephesus. These aren't dead people who have been canonized by the Catholic Church. These are men and women who are set apart for the grace and peace God offers.
Also, notice that the message is for those who are "faithful in Christ." This is how he describes Christians. He doesn't use the name, Christian. He uses the description "faithful in Christ." This is a Christian. If they were unfaithful, they would not be in Christ. All of the blessings he is about to describe would not be for them. But these men and women are saints and faithful in Christ. If we are set apart and faithful in Christ, these truths will apply to us. There is no extra description here that separates them from us.
Blessed Be God
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) --- 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,
Before Paul reveals how God has blessed us in Christ, he starts with, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." To bless someone is to call for good things to happen for them. Paul is calling for God to be blessed. This sounds like a generic version of Jesus' prayer, "Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven." Paul wants God to receive all that he desires because he is worthy. He is worthy of more than we could ever give him. This reminds me of Revelation's many songs, where the living creatures and the twenty-four elders in Revelation.
Revelation 4:8 (ESV) --- 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
Revelation 4:10--11 (ESV) --- 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
That image is repeated throughout that book. God is worthy of all praise for the good that he has done for mankind. Now, Paul will describe some of the good God has done for us.
Blessed In Christ
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV) --- 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,
Listen to this. Those who are in Christ are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We have discussed the blessings that are promised throughout the Old Testament. Remember how Abraham was promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring? Then, all of those prophets we studied were promising a future blessing on mankind. When Jesus gets here, what does he say? Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. He comes with a blessing. Now Paul tells us that everyone who is in Christ receives every spiritual blessing. We have the kingdom of heaven. We have comfort. We have the satisfaction. We have the inheritance. All of those blessings Jesus promised are ours in Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV) --- 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Being in the body of Christ provides us with every spiritual blessing. God is our loving and merciful Heavenly Father. He sent Christ so that we could be joined to Christ. Listen to how Paul words this in Colossians.
Colossians 3:1--4 (ESV) --- 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
He has hidden us in Christ so that we could enter the heavenly places without fear of punishment for sin. Christ is our life.
This verse is the beginning of one long sentence that describes the blessings we have in Christ. Paul is not grammatically correct from verses 3-14. There are 202 Greek words in that sentence without a break. I try to write like that and get bad marks on my papers, but Paul has a pass because of the greatness of what he says. I would like for us to read these verses all together to begin grasping the magnitude of the blessings.
Ephesians 1:3--14 (ESV) --- 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, 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 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
In this section, Paul points out three different types of blessings. He discusses past blessings (4-6), present blessings (7-10), and future blessings (11-14).
Also, we see the purpose of God is to make us "to the praise of his glorious grace." We are supposed to follow Paul in praising and honoring God. He saved us to become men and women who praise him for all that he has done for us.
What Do We Learn?
In future studies, we will look more into what each of these ideas mean to us. But for now, I want us to soak in all of the blessings. Do you realize how much God loves you? He has made a way for us to be with him.
The way to be spiritually blessed is not found in ourselves. It's not about having the right political stance, skin color, wealth, ability, achievements, intelligence, or even enough righteousness. If we want every spiritual blessing that was promised throughout the Old Testament, we must be in Christ. Once we enter into the body of Christ, his position in heaven is my position, his blood is my righteousness, his privilege is my privilege, his possession is my possession, and his spirit is my spirit. We are made one with Christ.
Application
What does that mean for us? It means that our significance is not found in ourselves but in Christ's acceptance of us. If we are in Christ, what do we have to fear? The only fear we have is that we might be deceived into giving such an enormous blessing up. We don't want to be like Esau, who sold his blessing for a bowl of stew. So we must relish the blessings we have in Christ. We must, as we will see throughout this book, walk worthy of this calling and be to the praise of God's glory. Our desire must be for God to have all of his desires.
Conclusion
It's easy for us to lose track of our blessings when we focus on our failures. I hope, throughout our study of Ephesians, you will see your role and purpose in the body of Christ. I pray that each of us will be found faithful in Christ and become a working member in his body. Have you submitted your life to Christ? Through faith, you can become a son or daughter of God and enter into the body of Christ today.
Galatians 3:25--27 (ESV) --- 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.