Ephesians 1:3-14
While recently visitng our former church family, I was flooded with memories of our time there. I was reminded specifically of the time when an old friend of mine (who has since gone to be with the Lord) was holding my youngest daughter as an infant and she spit up all over him – it was a big one! I followed him horrified to the restroom to help him clean up for church, but was shocked at the reaction I received. He was laughing! The grace and joy in his face and love for us in his heart reminded me of the unconditional love of God that comes through Jesus. This is the kind of love that God has for us, even though we’ve all sinned and fallen short of His expectations, He willingly sent Jesus to be our substitution and pay our debt to God through His death. Jesus then rose from the dead, defeating death and ensuring that we will receive eternal life with God. rising from the dead is, in fact, what we are here to celebrate today!
I’ve been able to share the gospel with people many times and I am thankful for your willingness to listen, but I want to share a little more. I’d like to share from one of my favorite passages of scripture some of the advantages we receive when we give ourselves to God through faith in Jesus. That means when we put our trust that His death and resurrection literally happened and is enough for me to be forgiven and made right with God. I’d like to ponder, “what’s in it for me?” I know that’s an oddly selfish question and faith is NOT about what we get, but giving our lives over to a good God does have some pretty incredible rewards and I think they’re worth learning about. Because of the Christ’s work on the cross, you are invited into God’s family, giving you access to many incredible gifts.
In Christ, God’s Children Gain Adoption
We would have liked to have had biological children, but adoption was always our priority. Even before I got married, I wanted to be an adoptive parent. I always wanted to be able to pull out this passage and tell someone that, like God, we chose you and want to give you goodness that wasn’t originally yours. The beauty of adoption is indescribable to us in that way – it is one of the purest forms of unconditional love in Christ. What it does it take the person who has nothing; no home, no future, no hope, and give them everything. By trusting in Christ, you are given adoption into His family, meaning that earlier, you were on the outside, owed nothing, and having nothing; but now, in Jesus, you are given EVERYTHING—EVERY BLESSING (v3)—as a child of God’s. Being in God’s family is kind of like when my dad was on active duty in the military and I used to drive on base, people would see the car tags and salute me – not because I was anything, but because it was my dad’s car. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the blessings that God has in store for you as a child of God.
In Christ, God’s Children Gain Redemption
v7 tells us we receive redemption. It means that our debt has been paid. When something is redeemed, the transaction is complete and all parties are satisfied. That means the seller has their payment, the buyer has their product and there is no lingering expectation. Ownership has transferred. This is both the understanding and permanency of redemption through Jesus. His blood paid for our forgiveness, thus satisfying God as payment for our debt of sin. In God’s eyes, we are clean and pure, perfect in Christ and never to be judged or condemned. I love how Paul uses the word lavished in v8, with all wisdom and insight. This was not spur of the moment or reckless, but meticulous and planned out so that God could pour out on us all of who He is. This is because He wants deep relationship with us.
In Christ, God’s Children Gain Intimacy
The mystery of His will in v9 – that’s one of those things people wonder about – what is it? But to those to whom its been given, it’s not a mystery! God revealed Himself to us through scripture – which is the exact purpose for us having the Bible (it is NOT simply a manuel or set of rules). In scripture God reveals the fullness of Himself to us, and as His followers, our veil is removed (2 Cor 3:16). We get to know Him fully! Like reading a diary of a teenager, every vital detail we need to know God is found right in these pages. We simply need to submit to the Spirit and willing to do the leg work. And you know what? The mystery is simple – He loves us and wants us in His family!
In Christ, God’s Children Gain an Inheritance
God backs this up by giving us an inheritance. Heaven, eternal life, ultimate peace and presence with God directly and face to face. And that, of course, is wonderful to talk about, but Paul isn’t focusing on the final inheritance, but on the deposit – the guarantee that proves you will ultimately receive heaven as well: the Holy Spirit. A person puts down a deposit on a house to guarantee the effort to purchase as they put the financing together. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit for our entrance into Heaven for our assurance and peace. All you need to do is look at your life and if you see spiritual fruit that come only come from the Holy Spirit, then you can know fully that you are guaranteed Heaven. It’s a done deal – signed and sealed on the dotted line.
Next Steps
In Florida, once an adoption is finalized, the state reissues the birth certificate with the signature of the adoptive parent(s). It is as if it had always been that way. The same is true with Good. Because of the Christ’s work on the cross, you are invited into God’s family and have access to many incredible benefits.
- Introduce yourself to God and join His family.
- Release your sin and allow yourself to live free of its burdens.
- Ask God for whatever you need to seek Him more.
This is just a taste of what we receive as children of God. Come back for the next few weeks as we discuss more of what we get in Christ.
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