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Believers’ Benefits II

Posted on 10 Mar 2019, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: Believers’ Benefits – II

Text: Eph. 1:3-14

[Eph 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,

[Eph 1:4] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

[Eph 1:5] having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

[Eph 1:6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

[Eph 1:7] In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

[Eph 1:8] which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

[Eph 1:9] having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

[Eph 1:10] that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

[Eph 1:11] In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

[Eph 1:12] that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

[Eph 1:13] In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

[Eph 1:14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Introduction

Brethren, when we came to Jesus, we came as dirty sinners.
Out of grace and mercy, Jesus forgave us and accepted us as one of His own
We were saved through grace, not by any ounce of work that we did
However, as if being saved by grace is not enough, the Lord also provided additional benefits for us
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a start. The benefits demonstrate just how much we are loved by the Lord
In Christ Jesus, we have:
- Spiritual Blessings
- Righteousness and Holiness
- Became sons of God
- Redemption through His blood
- The gathering of the saints
- Sealed with the Holy Spirit
We are going to be addressing each of these benefits so we have a better understanding of what we have in Christ Jesus

Main Topic

1. Spiritual Blessings

[Eph 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,
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ
Every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, not some, every single spiritual blessing has been released to us
Spiritual blessings are not like physical blessings that a person may give you
You may not be able to touch it, taste it, smell it, in the physical sense
However, you are able to know on the inside that indeed God has blessed you

1.1 We have the assurance of our salvation – Eph. 2:8-10

1.2 We have access to the Fruit of the Spirit – Gal. 5: 16-26

[Gal 5:16] I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [Gal 5:17] For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. [Gal 5:18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [Gal 5:19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [Gal5:20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [Gal 5:21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[Gal 5:22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [Gal 5:23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [Gal 5:24] And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [Gal 5:25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. [Gal 5:26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
- Revelries – wild fun times. The word stems from rebel.
  - This includes excessive partying. It is not every weekend that one must party. Celebrate with people, but draw the line and have a limit.
- The like – anything similar to the above that is not explicitly mentioned.
[Gal 5:21] ….. that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

How do you feed the Spirit so that the Spirit can grow:
- Study the Word
  - [2Ti 2:15] Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
  - [1Pe 2:2] as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
  - Including listening to Spirit filled messages, books, etc.
- Prayer
- Fasting
As you grow, the fruit of the Spirit will develop
- Love – love is God’s nature.
  - The high esteem that God has for His children.
  - It is also the high regard that we should have for God and other people.
  - There is no way to love than to demonstrate it. Saying it is not enough.
- Joy –
  - a positive attitude that rises above circumstances
  - It is produced by the Spirit of God
  - Looks beyond the present to our future salvation and to God, who works out all things for our ultimate good.
- Peace
  - a combination of hope, trust, and quietness in the mind and soul
  - [Rom 5:1] Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
  - [Php 4:6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [Php 4:7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
- Longsuffering
  - Does not mean you will suffer long
  - God’s patient endurance of the wickedness of the sinful
  - We are equally supposed to endure to the end
- Kindness
  - Another word for kindness is grace – God’s unmerited favor
  - Believers ought to treat all people with kindness (grace)
- Goodness
  - the quality of being good, moral excellence
  - [2Ti 2:20] But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. [2Ti 2:21] Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
  - Believers are to demonstrate the goodness of God in our daily walk
- Faithfulness
  - Even though it is stated as faith, but the correct translation should be faithfulness
  - It is dependability, loyalty, and stability
  - We are to be faithful to God and to one another
- Gentleness
  - Having a spirit of fairness and compassion
  - [Php 4:5] Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord isat hand.
- Self-Control (temperance)
  - Self control that masters all kinds of sensual desires
  - Ability to discipline the body and striving for spiritual reward
  - [1Co 9:24] Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. [1Co 9:25] And everyone who competes for the prizeis temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. [1Co 9:26] Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one whobeats the air. [1Co 9:27] But I discipline my body and bring itinto subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

1.3 Unity and Oneness

In John 17, before Jesus was betrayed, He prayed for the unity and oneness of the disciples and believers
- [Joh 17:11] Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
- Please read the whole chapter
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are united as One. So should we as believers.
Your denomination does not matter. Christians should be united.
[Ecc 4:12] Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
[1Co 1:10] Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
- Disunity (division) is a tool in the hand of the enemy to work against the plan of God for the church
- We can agree to disagree, but we must move forward to achieve the greater purpose – souls for the Kingdom
[Act 2:1] When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
- Unity makes prayers more powerful
- [Mat 18:19] “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
When faiths are joined together, it becomes exponential faith, not addition faith.
- [Deu 32:30] How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had surrendered them?
Amos 3:3, Ps. 133

To be continued…..

Conclusion

According to Eph. 1, there are many benefits that the Lord has blessed us with.
In Christ Jesus, we have:
- Spiritual Blessings
- Righteousness and Holiness
- Became sons of God
- Redemption through His blood
- The gathering of the saints
- Sealed with the Holy Spirit
Included in the spiritual blessings are:
- The assurance of salvation
- Access to the fruit of the Spirit – staying away from the works of the flesh.
- Unity and Oneness
We will continue next week by God’s grace on righteousness and holiness

Sermon

Believers’ Benefits II