Refresco: THE BLESSINGS OF GOD'S PEOPLE

Please join us in prayer for the people of Egypt.

Read: “9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:9-14)

Relate:
The last few weeks we have been looking at the “Seven Blessings of God’s People”. Actually I increased it by one, to eight blessings after reading verses 3-14 a little closer.

For some reason or another, we have a hard time understanding that God has already blessed us. We often think that God may bless us, or that He will bless us in the future, but we have a hard time accepting the truth that God has blessed us NOW!

Blessing #1: God chose us to be holy and blameless (1:4). You may feel like, “Pastor, I don’t pass the test.” Well, you are not alone. I feel your sentiment. Understand that God does not say that you are perfect or sinless. However, because of Jesus Christ, if you have accepted Him, you will someday stand before Him holy and blameless.

Blessing #2: God adopted us into His family because He wanted us (1:5). When you and I were adopted by God into His family that also included all the rights to that family and we were released of any debt we may have brought with us from our previous family. We had a huge debt we could not pay: our sin. God paid for that debt through Christ.

Pray for the Christians in Egypt

Blessing #3: Tells us that God has redeemed us (1:7a). Redemption isn’t a word that we use a lot, so we looked at the Biblical definition: when someone pays a ransom delivered to another who is incapable of freeing themself. It’s the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. Then we looked at the dictionary definition: the action of gaining or regaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt. Aren’t you thankful that God, through Jesus Christ, redeemed us through His own blood?

Blessing #4: God has forgiven us (1:7b). I want you to really grasp what it means. We’re forgiven! This word that’s used here literally means, “to carry away”. Picture this: God carries our sin away from us. Forgiveness means our sin’s have been totally dismissed. Praise God, our debt has been forgiven!

Our sins were carried away, not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus Christ did for us. Read (Leviticus 16:20-22) to get a better picture and understanding.

This week we will look at the last four blessings listed for us in Ephesians 1:9-14 (underlined).
Blessing #5: God has shown us the “mystery” of His will. (v. 9a)
Blessing #6: God chose us for an inheritance. (v. 11 & 12)
Blessing #7: God included us in Christ. (v. 13a)
Blessing #8: God guarantees us of the Holy Spirit in our life. (v. 13b-14)

Here are a few background comments to help you understand the passage better:

(vv. 13 & 14) The Holy Spirit is God’s seal that we belong to Him and His deposit guaranteeing that He will do what He has promised He will do. The Holy Spirit is like a down payment, a deposit, a validating signature on the contract. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proving that we are His children, and secures eternal life for us. His power works in us to transform us now. What we can experience presently is a taste of the total change we will experience in eternity!

(vv. 16-17) Paul prayed for the believers to know God better. Reading the Bible, devotional material and other great works of Theology, is wonderful, but, there is no substitute for knowing God personally and intimately. The difference is spending time with Him. Study the Gospels to see what He was like on earth two thousand years ago, and get to know Him in prayer now. Personal knowledge of Christ can transform your life!

(v. 18) The hope we have is not a vague feeling that the future will be positive, but it is complete assurance of certain victory through God. This complete certainty comes to us through the Holy Spirit who is working in us.

(v. 19) The world fears the power of the atom, yet we belong to the God of the universe who not only created that atomic power but also raised Jesus Christ from the dead! God’s incomparably great power is available to help you through the Holy Spirit in you. There is nothing to difficult for Him!

Reflect:

When have you been blessed or has someone blessed you with something that you did not deserve?
What was it?
Who blessed you?
Why did they bless you?
How did it make you feel?

Respond:

As you read over the eight blessings listed above, which one speaks the most to you. How is that blessing so special to you?
How do you get to know someone better?
Do you really know God or do you just know about Him?
Do you really believe him or just believe in Him?
How can you get to know God better than you know Him now?

Request: