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Believers’ Benefits IV

Posted on 24 Mar 2019, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: Believers’ Benefits – IV

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

1.0 Spiritual Blessings

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

1.3 Unity and Oneness

2.0 Righteousness and Holiness

2.1 You ought to be righteous

2.2 Jesus Christ made us righteous

3.0 Adopted as Sons

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

3.1 We were not the original sons

In the beginning God created Adam and Eve
From these two, the earth was populated
When sins of men became too much, God called Abram from his father’s house
Changed his name to Abraham and made him a promise that he will be the father of nations
God’s own special nation was in the womb of Abraham
Abraham beget Isaac, and Isaac beget Jacob
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel
Israel beget twelve sons that eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel
[Exo 4:22] Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
Matt. 15:21-28 – The story of the Canaanite woman that came to Jesus
- [Mat 15:24] But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
- [Mat 15:27] And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
- By claiming the status of the servant, she received her miracle
However, God has a better plan for us

3.2 By predestination, we were adopted as sons

Luke 15:11-32 – The story of the prodigal son
- Originally, we were all created as sons
- Through riotous living, we gave away our sonship status
- Israel was the older brother that never left….
- When we repented of our sins, being called a servant was good enough
- However, the Father said, we are sons
[Joh 1:12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Romans 11:11-24 – Apostle Paul explained that we were grafted in to become a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree
The adoption is open only to those that will claim it – As many as received Him

3.3 Your son-ship status gives you the right to approach your Father

Once you become a son, you can approach your heavenly Father
Whether you were born in the house or you were adopted, it doesn’t matter
The same way that the prodigal son had access to the Father, we equally have access to the Father
The same way that the prodigal son had access to the Father’s provision, we equally have access to the Father’s provision
So, at any time, we can call upon the Father because He is our Father

4.0 The Forgiveness of Sins

[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,

4.1 We were forgiven

Our redemption through His blood gave us the forgiveness of sins
[Heb 9:22] And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
In the OT, blood of animals were shed for atonement of sins
In the NT, Jesus shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins (past, present, and future)
Only confessed sins can come under the power of the blood of Jesus – 1 John 1:9
As believers, it is part of our benefits to be forgiven when we mess up, provided we confess it to Jesus

4.2 We must forgive others

[Mat 6:12] And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
We were taught to forgive others as we were forgiven
However, if we fail to forgive others, our heavenly Father will not forgive us
[Mat 6:14] “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
[Mat 6:15] But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Since we are sons, we must reflect the character of our Father, otherwise we are bastards
Our Father forgave us, therefore we must equally forgive
[Mat 5:23] Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
[Mat 5:24] leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

4.3 Unforgiveness

If we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven
If we do not forgive others, our gifts at the altar are not acceptable
Our gifts include our praise, worship, our giving – they are not acceptable to God
No matter what anybody has done to you, forgive the person
Not forgiving the person is a cost you cannot afford to pay
When the saints gather together, there is no room for those that will not forgive
In other words, unforgiveness will lead to hell. So, forgive.

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 – forgiveness of sins
- The gathering of the saints
- Sealed with the Holy Spirit
We will wrap up the series next week by God’s grace on the gathering of the saints and being sealed with the Holy Spirit

Sermon

Believers’ Benefits IV