Every Spiritual Blessing Deut. 28:1-14; Eph. 1:1-10 7 Nov. 2010 HPC Evening [Introduction] A few years ago Christine and I made a trip to Kyrgyzstan via Turkey and we stopped by at Ephesus. We visited the historical site of the city of Ephesus as well as the site of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World - the Temple of Artemis. Here is the photo of whatʼs left of the temple - a broken pillar and some rocks scattered on the ground, itʼs a bit pathetic, isnʼt it? While the Ephesians were shouting: Great is Artemis of Ephesians! they wouldʼve never thought that this place would look like this. Unbelievable! The great wonder didnʼt last forever, did it? I also searched the web, and I found this is what the temple was supposed to look like. Artemis was a very important goddess for the people in ancient Ephesus. Artemis was a goddess of fertility and wealth and was often pictured as draped with eggs or multiple breasts, from her waist to her shoulders. She was very important to the Ephesians as they probably sought her for the blessings of many children. Also, as we read Acts 19, we are told that making shrines for Artemis brought much more fortune to those silversmiths and craftsmen. This Artemis business was very important for the local 1
economy. She was so dominant in those day. So, when they heard Paul that Artemis was only a man-made god - so not a god at all, the whole city was in an uproar. In our society we also have our own set of idols. Beauty, power, money, pleasure, achievement. Each has its own shrines - whether office towers, shopping centers, gyms and studios, or sports stadiums - where we make sacrifices in order to gain the blessings of the good life and avoid disaster and bad luck. Today, we might not actually go to the temple and burn incense to Artemis (her temple is long gone!), but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, maybe weʼre just as willing to perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting our family and community to pursue a higher place in the business and gain more wealth and prestige... The ancient gods were bloodthirsty and hard to appease. Itʼs the same with todayʼs gods. Sinful men desire blessings from their own gods but they are enslaved by them. As we open up Paulʼs letter to the Ephesians, right at the very beginning, weʼre told that the One True God whom Christians worship is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3). It seems to me, as I was reading the first chapter, that Paul is telling me: Hey, stop pursuing idols. Theyʼre just going to disappoint you with no blessings. Instead listen - the God whom we praise brings every spiritual blessing, from eternity to eternity! So letʼs worship Him! As sinners, we have such a narrow view of God. When we come to God, we only want our personal physical needs to be met. But here Paul is telling us: Open your eyes. Look beyond yourself. God is actually giving you much much more; more than youʼve ever asked for. And you know what - to truly enjoy all the blessings from Him, you have to have a transformed and broad view of God. Thatʼs why tonightʼs passage is so important for us. It will transform your idea of God, and therefore itʼs going to transform all aspects of our daily living. [Context] Ephesians is perhaps a very familiar letter to most of us. I reckon the letter is almost a summary of the entire gospel, a synopses of the whole Bible with the rest of the 65 books filling in all the details. The first two chapters of the letter is a description of the new life God has given us in Christ. Having been blessed with this wonderful new life, we have so much to praise God for. So first things first, Paul begins his letter with an intense doxology of praise. In the original Greek this doxology is one single long complex sentence. Paul pours out his praise for God in a continuous cascade. Many commentators marvel at this sentence and call it a magnificent gateway to the epistle, or a golden chain of many links, or a snowball tumbling down a hill, picking up volume as it descends. All these metaphors in different ways describe the impression of colour, movement and grandeur which the sentence makes in our mind. So as we read this paragraph, donʼt just read it intellectually, open your heart, feel it, respond with your emotions, praise Him with all your strength. [pause] Paul begins his praise by telling us that God is the very source of every blessing that we enjoy, then the rest of the Greek sentence tells us what these blessings are: vv. 4-6 the past blessing of election vv. 5-8 the present blessing of adoption vv. 9-10 the future blessing of unification 2
Before we get into the details of each blessing, let me make a quick stop at v.3. Letʼs read v.3 again, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Just a few important things I want to quickly point out. Firstly, Paul makes what seems to be a deliberate reference to the trinity: God the Father of our Lord Jesus - the origin of the blessing. In Christ - the sphere in which we have union with Him. (in fact, the phrase In Christ appears 11 times in vv. 3-14) Being spiritual - the nature of the blessing, being derived from the Holy Spirit. In an ancient world full of gods, Paul tells his fellow Christians to remember that there is only One God worthy to be praised. He is a Trinitarian God, a relational God. This is a staggering contrast between the Gentile Christians and their pagan neighbors. Itʼs a radical thing to only believe in one God, who is in three persons. Even today, many, (e.g. Muslim believers) canʼt accept the fact that One God can be in three persons. To Christians, with divine enlightenment, itʼs a great truth yet at the same time, itʼs a great mystery. Secondly, the blessings weʼve received are in the heavenly realms. In contrast with the OT blessings which were largely material, the blessings in Christ are spiritual. Paul stresses that Jesusʼ followers live in the unseen world of spiritual reality where the principalities and powers operate (ch. 6:12) but Christ reigns supreme and Christians reign with Him (2:6). So, Paul teaches us to live a heavenward life. Now, letʼs take some time to ponder each of these spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms. Perhaps you can ask yourself, how can I experience these on a daily basis? So, number one, the past blessing of election. When people seek blessings, they want to enjoy them straight away. They want immediate pleasure. When someone asks his god to bless him with a job, he wants it now. When the silversmith wanted his wealth from Artemis, he wanted it now. But when we ask for Godʼs blessings, His blessings come from the past eternity into the future eternity. No wonder sometimes people complain that God doesnʼt answer our prayers. Itʼs not because God is not all powerful but because we have a too narrow view of who God is. God might not bless you instantly. But God definitely blesses those He loves much more than we can ever imagine. As Paul praises God, he reaches back in his mind before the creation of the world (v.4), before time began, into a past eternity where only God Himself existed in the perfection of his being. At that time, God did something. He formed a purpose in his mind, something concerning both Christ, his only Son, and us - he chose us in Him (Christ) (v.4). God was determined to make us who didnʼt yet exist His own adopted (v.5) children through the redeeming work of Christ. Why did He want to do that? In Paulʼs praise, three times he repeats the great reason why God elected some - it is in accordance with his pleasure and will (v.5), to the praise of his glorious grace (v.6), and again, in v.12, it is for the praise of His glory and again, in v.14, it is to the praise of His glory. God elects and predestines, so the glory of His grace might be praised forever and ever. [Pause] 3
Many still find the doctrine of election difficult. We struggle with the tension between Godʼs divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Didnʼt I seek God? Surely you did. But only because in eternity God first chose you. Didnʼt I find Christ? No, Christ was never lost, you were. And God first chose you in HIM! The idea of election is difficult Itʼs a profound mystery for us. For centuries, even the best brains havenʼt discovered a simple solution to the problem. So itʼs not easy for me to systematize it precisely for you in a 20 minute sermon. However, regardless of the difficulties, weʼre still able to see how the doctrine of election impacts our everyday live. God chose us so we have no ground for boasting. Here is a quote from John Piperʼs The Pleasures of God : This is why God delights in election. It is the great first work of free grace that takes away the final refuge of human self-reliance and casts man on the unshakable Rock of covenant love. God chose us not because there is anything good in us. God says to Israel that he hadnʼt chose them because they out-matched the other nations in numbers or in any other way. He chose them simply because He loved them. The same truth is hammered home in tonightʼs passage. The emphasis of Paulʼs entire praise is on Godʼs grace, love, sovereign will, purpose and choice. I like this phrase sovereign grace, thatʼs it. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world. Therefore, there is no room for our own boasting. Everything is from God. God choses us so we are to live a holy life. There is no excuse for sin. Some people are cheeky, Iʼm one of Godʼs chosen people. Iʼm safe and secure. So I can do whatever I want. I can behave just as I please. But God says that he has chosen you to be holy and blameless in his sight (v.4). Holy and blameless, this is the status of our final perfection. The process of sanctification begins in the here and now. Election is not a license to sin. Instead, election demands holiness. Holiness is the very purpose of our election. Also, the evidence of election is a holy life. How do you know if you are elected? Only if you live a holy life! The past blessing of election is truly a gift from God. We have complete security in Jesus. There is no boasting in what weʼve achieved. We have an incentive to holiness, righteousness and humility. [Pause] Number Two, the Present blessing of adoption. In v.5, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, We were elected even before we were created. Now, we are adopted as Godʼs own children. This is Godʼs blessing in a very present sense. Now, we are Godʼs children, part of the family. God will not adopt and then find out that we arenʼt worthy and forsake us. He knows we are unworthy, but He still calls us to be His own children. According to the Roman law, adopted children enjoyed the same rights as natural children. In Romans 8:16, Paul also says, The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are Godʼs children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. 4
Being one of Godʼs own children is such a huge privilege. In vv. 7-8, it says, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Godʼs grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. This is our privilege: Through Christ, we, as adopted children, have free access to our heavenly Father. Weʼve been redeemed and forgiven. God has paid the price of our sin, so we are seen in no sin. The price paid was the shedding of Christʼs blood when He died for our sins on the cross. So now we have free access to God through Christ. We have God as our Father and we can enjoy His lavish love and grace. Itʼs very common for people to first come to God to have their own selfish needs met. The first time I ever went to a church was when my relationship with my ex-girlfriend had broken down and I was lonely. I found the warm atmosphere of the service to be comforting. It was a good entry point. But I had such a narrow view of who God is. Then we find this God is bigger than any other gods, so we start to transfer our trust from other gods to this much more powerful God. We need Jesus to get us to heaven. Itʼs still very much me-centered. Believing in Jesus is just a ticket to heaven. Unless we see the grandeur of Godʼs lavish love, our view of God wonʼt be transformed. Itʼll just be about what I can get from God for my own needs. This is what Paul intends to show the early believers and this is what we need to know today. God is much bigger then our own small world and our own selfish needs. I remember my first semester at SMBC. Stuart Coulton taught us Introduction to Theology. In the first class, he asked, When you take a walk, have you ever noticed there are so many types of green leaves? Have you ever wondered why God created all these different green leaves? Are they necessary? Why so wasteful? I never thought about that before. Why is God so wasteful, so lavish? He doesnʼt have to give up His own Son to be able to save us because He is all powerful. But He is a lavish God! He is a rich Father. He lavished on us the riches of all His grace through His One and Only Son. From that moment, my view of God was transformed. God is so very big! As an Asian I like to bargain. I donʼt like having to pay full price if I can get a cheaper deal. We all like $2 shops. We like to get things on sale and not have to pay the full price. But God lavishes His absolute best on us. He willingly pays top dollar for us. He gives His best so that we donʼt just gain a mortal life now but we also enjoy full access into this intimate father-and-son relationship. We are so blessed to be adopted. As His own children, we have free access to the King of Kings. Iʼm sure youʼve all seen that photo of JFK Jnr playing under the desk in the White House. He is playing in the most powerful office in the world. He has free access to this office because his daddy is the POTUS. Our Daddy is the Creator of this universe - and He gives us free access to come and play in His presence. Being adopted as His own we can know God personally. We are given His wisdom and understanding, so we can thoroughly enjoy Him. What an awesome privilege! [Pause] 5
Number Three: The future blessing of unification. God has done more than ʻchooseʼ us in Christ in a past eternity and given us ʻsonshipʼ now in the present. God has also made know to us the mystery of his will for the future (v.9). Our future blessing is the promise that God will bring all things in heaven and one earth together under one head, even Christ. (v.10) During my recent holiday, I watched the TV series John Adams. The bonus session of the DVD is a story about a historian who was the author of John Adamsʼ biography. He says that history is not simply to record all the events. Rather, itʼs about people, relationships, love, purpose and future. Itʼs so true. The history of God and His people has also been developed in this way, The Kingdom of God must have a glorious future. Iʼd like you to pay attention to this word mystery in v.9. What is this mystery which God has made known? In chapter 3, Paul tells us that this ʻmysteryʼ is the inclusion of Gentiles in Godʼs new society on equal terms with the Jews. This multi-ethnic unity is just a foretaste of a future unity that will be far greater and even more wonderful. When ʻthe times will have reached their fulfillmentʼ, all things will be united in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. Already Christ is the head of the body, the church, but one day everything will acknowledge His headship. Now many still donʼt believe, there are terrible wars, and much tragedy in this world. But in the fullness of time, all these will cease, and the perfection which we long for will happen under Jesus. How does this future blessing impact our life today? I think the future blessing of unification must change the way we ʻdoʼ church today. For now, the church is to be the firstfruit, the beginning, the example, the sign or the manifestation of the future unified Kingdom of God. The church today is preliminary, temporary. The church is the instrument to serve Godʼs purpose. The church is the only community where Godʼs people gather together, consciously serving Jesus to draw all types of people together under Christ. Knowing this, here is the challenge for us. Have we closed ourselves behind the walls of a church building, rituals and traditions and failed to reach the world out there? Have we just made ourselves a sub-cultural community against the world? God promises to bless His church in the future so we must no longer separate from the world. Rather we are to go out into the world in compassionate service and witness. In this way, we can be part of Godʼs plan to bring all things together in Christ. [Pause] - Conclusion Letʼs pause for a moment to count the spiritual blessings God has given us: The past blessing of election The present blessing of adoption The future blessing of unification Imagine this, when Paul wrote the letter, he was a prisoner, in a confined space, but He had a big, broad vision of God. His body was chained but his heart and mind were set on eternity. He looked back ʻbefore the creation of the worldʼ (v.4) and forward to the time when all will reach their fullness (v.10). Then he grasped hold of what ʻwe haveʼ (v.7) now, and this made him burst out praising God. 6
What about you and me? Whatʼs your vision like compared with Paulʼs? Have we become too insular and inward-looking failing to see beyond these four walls, this city, this country? Are our horizons and expectations for Godʼs church too narrow? How have we limited God with what He can do in our daily lives? Friends, letʼs not slip into a preoccupation with our own petty little affairs. Letʼs see things in the light of eternity. Letʼs grasp hold of our identity in light of our past election and future perfection. Letʼs praise and thank God and worship Him constantly for He is the One who has blessed us so richly and lavishly in Christ. 7