God be pleased to bless us. Let's
turn to the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians in chapter 1 and
we'll read verse 3. The epistle of Paul the Apostle
to the Ephesians and reading chapter verse 3 of the first
chapter. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. This verse forms part of the
sentence, the beginning of the sentence which ends in the sixth
verse and just to read the rest of that sentence from verse four
according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. the apostle addresses this letter
to the Ephesians and he says to the saints which are at Ephesus
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus therefore it does really
encompass the whole church of God and we can therefore this
evening consider although it was written so many many years
ago consider it to be applicable to us today as it was written
all those years ago principally to the Ephesians. And the Apostle
then addresses them and says, Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. And he comes and
says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. So let us just recognize that
these glorious words are addressed to the Church of God. And how necessary, how vital
it is that all of us here this evening can come within these
words, that we can be considered amongst those who are truly born
again by the Holy Spirit of God, because all those who are not,
this has no reference to, no application, because they do
not have any spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
So how necessary it is that you and I, by the Spirit of God,
have the wonderful evidence the wonderful blessing that we are
amongst those who are being addressed in these words. It is, of course,
a very glorious thing to think that it is so, because if it
is so, then we can rejoice in the words and bless God for them. Perhaps if we cannot, we always
need to be honest before God, Let us never pretend to say or
to think that we know these things when we do not, but to acknowledge
them if we do. But if we do not, let us earnestly
pray that the Holy Spirit may convey to us the blessed evidence
that we are amongst the children of God, and therefore that these
truths do apply to us. Now if these truths do apply
to us we will be very thankful and we will rejoice in them and
it will lift us up above the poor things of time into those
heavenly realities so the apostle speaks in these glorious words
blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. Really he's drawing the analogy
between those blessings which are spiritual and those blessings,
well he doesn't speak about those but the other thing is the blessings
which are just providential, just in this life and we should
not be unthankful for those things which God is gracious to us and
grants us many blessings. But the most important thing
is that we are blessed with spiritual blessings. Because spiritual
blessings are waiting. Spiritual blessings are eternal. Natural blessings, however good
they may be, are passing. By comparison, they're very light. and they won't last very long
those things which are spiritual blessings are eternal blessings
so I'm sure you understand there is a great gulf really between
those two positions the division is very great but tonight we
pray that the Lord may show to us that we have the evidence
We are amongst those who are blessed. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. See there's the secret
really. In Christ. It's not out of Christ. It's in Christ. And how important
for us to know the great and glorious truth that it is so. and if the Holy Spirit has touched
our hearts we shall know that it is his word because we shall
realize that there is now an attraction to the Lord Jesus
Christ which there wasn't before yes we may have known of the
Lord Jesus Christ yes we have heard the Lord Jesus Christ in
a natural way but when the Holy Spirit comes and applies His
truth to our hearts, so that we do have the evidence of eternal
life. Then it is that the Lord Jesus
Christ is very real, is precious, and we are blessed. Blessed indeed. We're blessed with this wonderful
favour. You know that man in the Old
Testament, we read of him in the Chronicles, Jabez, he just
simply asked oh that thou wouldst bless me indeed well this is
an indeed blessing when we receive those blessings spiritual blessings
in heavenly places that means they are not earthly blessings
they are spiritual blessings i don't want to give the impression
that we are not should not be thankful for blessings we receive
in this world. We should, but we must be far
more seeking and far more desirous and far more grateful for these
spiritual blessings which are in heavenly places in Christ. And therefore they are centered
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that means they have been
obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ. Have it been something that you
and I, by our own efforts, by our own merit, have obtained?
They have been obtained on our behalf by the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is then. Therefore,
if we understand what the Apostle just goes on to say when he says,
according as He has chosen us in Him, not out of Him, in Christ,
before the foundation of the world we should be holy and without
blame before him in love isn't it a wonderful thought isn't
it a wonderful truth a living reality that all those that the
apostle is speaking to here have been chosen in him before the
foundation of the world this is a glorious spiritual blessing
to have the evidence that we have been chosen we haven't chosen
god we never would honestly and truthfully some people may pretend
they do in actual fact still want the world my blessing then
if we have the flavor to really understand this great and glorious
truth according as he hath just like the previous verse he hath
blessed us so here again he hath chosen us there's not any doubt
about it the whole church of God have been chosen in him in
Christ just ponder just think of the greatness of such a statement. To think that you and I, totally
unworthy, have been singled out by Almighty God to be amongst
those who are enumerated as chosen before the foundation of the
world, before anything existed in eternity past. chose us and chose the blessed
Savior the Lord Jesus Christ should come into this world after
the fall of Adam and all sin to redeem his people he's chosen
by the shedding of his most precious blood and his death upon that
cross of Calvary so the The Apostle says that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love. Well we see here the blessed
effect of the work of the Holy Spirit in granting us that new
life, that spiritual life, that new birth, that which is holy
and that which is without blame before Him in love. So we still
carry with us throughout our life a body of sin and death
a body which is at enmity with God God bless God if you and
I understand the conflict which we do have between what we term
our old nature our old man and the new new man of grace bless
God then you and I have the evidence of that occurring not something
which is past don't forget the devil never gives up he always
tries to deceive us so that we do give up rest god it's so clear
isn't it if you and i have been chosen in eternity past there
is no possibility of us not being found at last in glory with our
savior there's just no possibility because that which God has done
is done the Lord doesn't have any faders in his kingdom he
doesn't have any of his faders in hell no my friends they're
all with him in glory and therefore these spiritual blessings are
to those who have been predestinated having predestined us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to
the good pleasure of his will. Never argue with God and think
of this, his good pleasure toward us. Very humbling. realizations a very humbling
thought think that the almighty god has toward us the good pleasure
of his will the mercy and the evidence of this the praise of
the glory of his grace when he hath made us accepted in the
beloved it's the only way accepted in Christ there's no acceptance
outside of Christ it's not what we've done to justify our spiritual
life it's what Christ has done to justify us to give us eternal
life well these are spiritual blessings in heavenly places
they're not things which have any reference to the things of
this life they're all they all have reference to that eternal
life and so how wonderful it is if we have the evidence in
our hearts that we are amongst those that God has and is dealing
with and then the apostle says in whom we have redemption through
His blood, forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace. What words they are. These are
surely spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ. Can't be outside, can it? Must
be in Christ, in whom we have, you see, this redemption through
His blood. forgiveness of sins. There's
no sinner in heaven. Everyone in heaven is a forgiven
sinner. One who has been indeed redeemed. One for whom the Saviour has
shed his most precious and glorious sin-atoning blood. It's a theme
really most wonderful. It's a theme I'm sure which we
will never tire of. in glory, we cannot part of it
because our eternal state depended upon this great transaction being
completed upon the cross at Calvary so that it was we were found
with these spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Oh my friends what a wonderful
thing it is according to the riches of his grace This chapter
is very full, isn't it, of tremendous statements that are applied to
the whole Church of God. Sometimes we may perhaps feel
fearful of realising the relevance of these words to us. We may
be fearful perhaps to take them to ourselves, but they are true. If the Lord has touched our hearts,
The Lord has given us spiritual life. These words must be true,
must they not? They cannot be false. So, in whom we have, we have. There cannot be any doubt about
it. We have redemption through His
blood. What does it mean? It means the
forgiveness of sins. called it the riches of his grace
his free unmerited favor we never deserved any favor never
and yet what a wonderful truth it is and it's a lovely word
isn't it the riches of his grace the apostle knew the reality
of these things didn't he he lived a very evil life until
that great and glorious day on that Damascus road when he was
stopped cut down light from heaven shone
into his heart oh what a changed man he was we may not have that
same experience with that same power perhaps that Paul had but
nonetheless may we bless God if there has been a time in our
lives perhaps when the light of the glorious gospel has shone
into our hearts and it is because of the riches of his grace how often perhaps we have to
echo those words those well-known words of john newton who was
obviously in the spirit when he wrote them amazing grace how
sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once was lost but now
am found this grace has set me free this freedom in christ so
the devil cannot overcome because it's complete the whole transaction
was complete at calvary never to be turned over, never to be
carried out again. Oh, that work was complete, the
work which God the Father, His blessed Father, blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We should not
lose sight of the fact that it is the glory of the Father to
bless us in Christ. Sometimes perhaps I think we
don't really give praise and honour to our Father in heaven
as we should, and yet what a glorious truth it is to see the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal, one above another. So may we be blessed with true
praise to our God true praise to come and thank him and honor
and glorify him for all that he has done wherein wherein he
hath again a positive statement my friends tonight may our faith
stretch out to a hold of the positiveness
of the word of God to his saints It's not to everyone, it's to
those whom he has chosen, those whom he has called. It is a sure
and certain sound when he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself. you know this chapter runs on
doesn't it it really does it's so full of directing us to these
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ and what weight
there is in them what strength there is in them how solid they
are what do I mean by that they can't be removed oh no they are
They're there, they're written with an iron pen in the rock. They're sure and certain. So
tonight, let me bless God for the evidence of these great truths
and to rejoice in them and to seek that we truly might have
the evidence of them in our own lives and be thankful for them. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of time, we might gather together in one all things in
Christ not outside in Christ our religion tonight must be
in Christ not out of Christ because Christ receives the honor and
glory for all that was done that he undertook he did not fail
in redeeming his church what a mercy it is for us tonight
to then praise God this great truth that he might gather together
in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which
are on earth even in him in whom also we have obtained again you
see a very positive statement we have obtained an inheritance
and we must have done if the lord has called us by his grace
if the lord has shown us our need of a savior if the blessed
spirit has directed us to the savior and there we is all our
hope in his finished work and blessed with that humble belief
he has died to atone for us something which is uh outside of our spiritual
understanding is that which the Holy Spirit brings into our heart
and you know the effect is to praise and thank our God to glorify his name with a wonderful
plan of salvation in redeeming such unworthy people and we are
then truly blessed yes who have blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in christ these things are not
of the flesh these things are not carnal these things are spiritual
but if we have been moved by the holy spirit we will rejoice
in them we'll bless god for them but we'll be thankful that we
have such very positive statements to encourage us and to strengthen
us as we journey on to realize in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will that
we should be the praise of his glory first trusted in Christ
the church of God are formed for his glory we're not formed
on this earth for our glory we're formed on this earth to show
forth his praise and to be blessed indeed with that wonderful gift
of grace that we have trusted in Christ. Well tonight are we
trusting in Christ? Is he all our hope? Do we say
by his grace my hope, it's a good hope, my hope is built on nothing
less than Jesus' blood and righteousness because We are justified through
His death, not through what we've done. We are made righteous through
Him. We're blessed with that robe
of righteousness. And the Lord takes away all our
sin and imputes it to Him. It's a great mystery. It's beyond
our comprehension. It's the glory of God which sets
forth these great truths. So tonight, As we really ponder,
really these little words that has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places, in Christ, we realise what it
involves. We are in Him. We are redeemed. We are justified. We are sanctified. We are eternally safe. Have mercy. Think that they're
in glory. For all those, there is a place
reserved, which can never be taken by anybody else. So tonight,
may we bless God for such a statement. Bless God for the truth of God. May we go on our way tonight,
indeed, rejoicing in what God has done. Meditator, in our own
hearts, that we do possess the reality the things of God and
it is therefore well with our souls. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ.