Sunday, October 21, 2012

Promise of Spiritual Blessings

Ephesians 1:3 - 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.

The Book of Ephesians is filled with promise. It was written by Paul, a man who considered himself the least of all men and chief of sinners. Paul persecuted the Jews and now he's preaching the good news of what Jesus did for him, how his life had changed in an instant on a road! How he was blinded by God but when his sight returned he saw truth, he knew truth, he spoke truth and he shared truth with others. We are all called to this sort of life.

I was blind, but now I see are words we've almost all heard. I was blind once. I had no desire to know God. If God was as good as He was made out to be, He would forgive me because I knew about Him. He wouldn't let me die in my sins. I wasn't as bad as the next person...and surely better (!) than others. I had my own life to live. Surely He'd understand...and that's that!

Jesus can take any person and change them in an instant. No one should think they are incapable of being changed or determined they will not. If it is God's will, it will happen. This is not to say that some won't allow the change to take place. This is one of those gray areas and mysteries we may never grasp. We have a choice. And yet God knows which will receive.

Ephesians listed all we receive as an inheritance when at last Christ enters into our world and changes who we are, from sinner to saint. And this is not bragging. These are not my words. This does not make a person better than anyone else. It is a result of being forgiven by Christ of all sin (all): 

Adoption, into His family of believers. One huge family...imagine Jesus, Paul, Mary and Joseph, forgiven prostitutes, murderers, thieves, liars, the disciples...all part of the family. Extraordinary men of history, not because of what they did, but because of what God did for them!

Acceptance. From the foundation of the world...He reached out, we received, and we were accepted.

Redemption. Redeemed by His blood shed on the cross. Who can make total sense of this? 

Forgiveness. Of sins. Not just one, but all. Those when we were ignorant of Him and all those until we die. Because He has granted us His grace. Just because...

Wisdom. He opens blind eyes and deaf ears that we might perceive the truth of who He is. Not the world's idea, the world's misconceptions, but the actual truth. 

Inheritance. What's God's is ours. The promise of hope and a future, spiritual provision, protection. A guarantee. Real change. 

Seal of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit of truth and power would come. We are sealed with this same Spirit upon our receiving of Christ. The same Spirit that empowered Christ can reside in us and allow us to do the same things He did...and more, Jesus tells us.

Life. Life eternal. We are dead in our sins until the day Jesus enters in to our lives. Dead. Dead. These are not my words! Dead. But Christ brings life, more abundant life, eternal life. Spiritual death becomes spiritual life. When physical death comes, we need not fear. Our future is secure. 

Grace. Only by His grace...unmerited favor. We don't deserve it...but God...extends just the same to those who want to receive. Extended to all. Denomination means absolutely nothing. It's all about Jesus.
Citizenship. Along with eternal life comes citizenship in heaven. God's kingdom, the mansion Jesus has prepared for all who receive.

And what does receiving Jesus do? The realization that we now do nothing on our own, that who we are is what God did in us. He uniquely created us in our mothers' wombs. We are His workmanship. It was by His hand. He gave us our personalities and talents. The lives we lived before Him We lived before would build our characters...that we would realize the mistakes we'd made and see the changes He's made. He uses strengths that came from difficulties. We were created in Christ Jesus. God's work...not that of our own.

HE created us that our works would be good. Not that we would be good because of OUR works. It has nothing to do with us and all to do with Him. So we can't boast about our accomplishments. In Christ if we boast, we boast because of what He did in us. There's a difference between boasting in ourselves and in what Christ has done in us. Truly a difference...

He plants a desire within us that we should walk in these good works. These works should be part of our lives...part of our devotion to the Lord...not devotion to what man will think, that pat on the back, that award, trophy, commendation. Our good works through Him will be accounted for eternally.

We can so easily look at people who have been delivered from alcohol or drugs or other addictions and say we have never been like that. But most of us are common people with common lives. We are just as sin filled, sorry to say. We carry pride and/or arrogance, lie, cheat, look first to our own desires over those of others. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL. No one is exempt. No one. It is pride and arrogance to think we can live our lives without Jesus! And that does not mean just recognizing His name and believing who He is and assuming He will forgive without our receiving Him, like I did.

No. It is only through a relationship that He forgives. It's only by letting go of that pride and arrogance and admitting our need for a Savior. Oh the people who will not allow themselves to hear this and believe they are good because of their church or their good works. It's personal. It's between each individual person and Jesus. And when it happens each one of us knows this truth. 

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your prodding and poking in my life, for Your protection and provision before I even knew You. I thank You You showed me what truth is. Thank You for making me alive because I once was dead in my sin. Thank You for purposing that I know the mysteries of Your will. You showed me who You are and what You do, how Your Spirit lives in me and works in my life. Thank You for opening the door, tearing down walls, allowing my eyes to see and ears to hear, for a heart of stone turned to flesh. Continue to work within me. Thank You for the wisdom of who You are. Thank You for my inheritance. Jesus, I pray for others to receive You, to realize what Your death really means. Extend Your hand to all. Holy Spirit, fill me to overflowing. Let it flow through me that I might be in Your will doing for You, extending my hands in the same way You did for me. That I would learn completely what sacrifice truly is. 

I thank You that You are rich in mercy to those who want to receive. You love us all with an everlasting love, but some reject that love. You alone raise us up that we might be counted holy and righteous in Your sight...in Your sight. What do we need to fear? Man can kill the physical body but not the spiritual and the spiritual body is what is most important. People's opinions are nothing over Yours. I am holy because You are holy, because You live in me and are working in me to perfect me. Thank You. Keep on working! Keep on perfecting. I have a long way to go...

Ephesians 2:7 - that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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