Greatly Blessed - Ephesians 1

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Seeing Life as Half-Full or Half-Empty

In the world, there are two kinds of people: those who see a glass 50% full as half-filled and those who see that same glass as half-empty. The person who sees the glass half-full is happy that there is still 50% left. The person who sees the glass half-empty is sad that there is 50% gone. What kind of person are you, half-full or half-empty?

The world that we live in is not a full glass kind of world. Only when we get to heaven will our glasses be filled to the brim. In this life, we live in a 50% full glass world where there are good things in our life and some not so good things. Currently we’re in a message series called “How God Sees You.”

When God looks at you, how do you think He sees you, half-full or half-empty? When you look at yourself, how do you see yourself, half-full or half-empty? If you see yourself as half-empty, you may want to complain and be discouraged. If you see yourself as half-full, you will want to praise God for filling you.

Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

God wants our lives to be full of praise to Him, and in this verse we are commanded to continually offer up praises to God. How are you doing on that, because I know that I have a ways to go. Sometimes, especially when I am looking at myself or life as half-empty, I don’t feel like praising God so much.

But when I do praise God, it changes my feelings. I begin to be filled with joy, I am encouraged, and I sense the presence of the Lord. So today, God wants to encourage and motivate us to praise Him more. He wants us to see His hand in our lives as He fills us with His blessings.

My message today is called “Greatly Blessed.” I believe that if we can increasingly see ourselves as greatly blessed by God, it will be easier to praise Him. If you’re a believer here this morning, God sees you as greatly blessed and He wants you to see yourself the same way.

Have you ever had someone tell you when you were discouraged to count your blessings? That actually is a biblical principle and that’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to look at an incredible passage from Ephesians 1:3–14 which will vividly show us how we are greatly blessed in Christ.

This passage is a single unbroken sentence in the Greek, 202 Greek words long. It’s as if Paul, through the Holy Spirit, was so excited about God’s blessings that he couldn’t stop to take a breath or end the sentence. In this passage, we’re going to find awesome reasons to praise God because of His great blessings for our lives.

This message will help you continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise.

Praise God the Father

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ …

This passage begins with praise, is filled with praise, and ends with praise to God. The first of three sections calls us to praise God the Father. God created you to be to the praise of His glory.

He created you to praise Him with your lips and in your thoughts. He created you so that others would praise Him for your actions and life. So what should motivate you to continually praise God?

God Has Greatly Blessed You in Christ

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV) 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.

You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, and we need to look closely at those last two words, “in Christ.” The blessings that God has for you are found only in Christ, which means that only those who are believers and by faith are found in Christ are candidates for God’s blessings. God has not just blessed you with a few blessings, but with all spiritual blessings.

These are spiritual blessings, and as we go through this passage, we will see what these blessings are. They shape how God sees you and how you should see yourself. They are reasons to praise God continually.

God Has Chosen You to Be Holy

Ephesians 1:4 (NIV) For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

God knew about you before He created the world, and you were on His mind. Before creation, He chose you for a purpose, and that purpose was to be holy and blameless. That is your destiny as a believer in Christ.

When you struggle with temptation or sin, remember that God has chosen you to be holy. You don’t have to give in, you can have the victory, and you can live a holy life. God has chosen you for holiness, and He can help you live His way.

God Has Predestined You to Be His Child

Ephesians 1:5–6 (NIV) In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

God’s plan, which was in His mind from before time, was for you to be adopted into His family. God wanted you to be His son or daughter, not just in this life but forever. That plan was God’s will, and it gave Him great pleasure for you to become His child.

Here for the first time in the passage, the grace of God is mentioned. You and I don’t deserve any of these blessings, we don’t deserve to be seen as holy in God’s sight, and we don’t deserve to be God’s children. But God, by His grace, has blessed you in the One He loves, Jesus Christ.

Chosen and Called to Live as God’s Child

When you were a child, did you ever experience playing a sport where team captains selected different players for their teams? The biggest, strongest, and most talented players were usually chosen first. If you weren’t one of those, you waited until the end, and it didn’t feel good to be chosen last.

God didn’t choose you last; He chose you first, before the creation of the world. You’re now on God’s team, and if you’re a believer, you are one of His children. You must be pretty special to God.

So this week, when the pressure is on and you don’t feel like praising God, remember that God chose you to be His child. Praise Him in your mind and say, “God, I praise you for choosing me as your child,” and meditate on that truth. God also chose you to be holy, to live a life that pleases Him, and you can do it because He chose you for it.

Praise God for Jesus

Of course, this whole passage is about Jesus, but here the Spirit turns our attention to how we can praise God for what Jesus has done. Because of Jesus, we have been given incredible blessings. These truths give us constant reasons to praise Him.

God Has Redeemed and Forgiven You

Ephesians 1:7–8 (NIV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

In Jesus, you have been redeemed, and the concept of redemption is that of a slave who has been bought from his master by a redeemer. The redeemer was someone who paid the price for the slave’s freedom, and Jesus paid that price for you. The price He paid for your redemption was His blood shed on the cross for you.

That redemption resulted in the forgiveness of sins for everyone who believes in Jesus. Do we deserve it, not in the least bit, because your redemption is entirely because of God’s grace. God has lavished that grace on us through Jesus Christ, and that is something worth praising Him for continually.

God Has Made Known His Will to You

Ephesians 1:9–10 (NIV) And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Ever thought that God’s will was a mystery, something you could never really understand? God’s will is a mystery, but the good news is that God has made it known to us. These verses speak of God’s ultimate purpose in history.

That purpose, which will be achieved when Christ returns, is to bring everything and everyone under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God’s ultimate purpose includes you as part of His plan to bring that about. Your life matters in God’s unfolding will.

God Has Planned for You to Bring Him Praise

Ephesians 1:11–12 (NIV) In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of
his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Remember that you were chosen and predestined according to God’s plan. God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, and your life is included in that purpose. God’s goal in His plan for your life is that you should bring Him praise.

Every believer has put their hope in Christ. No matter what you’re going through today, God has a plan for your life to bring praise to His name. That alone is something to praise God for.

Living as a Sacrifice of Praise

Let’s think more about what Jesus did for us when He redeemed us because He loved us. In order to redeem you, Jesus took your place and died to pay the penalty for your sin. His life-changing love for you involved an exchange of His holiness for your sin.

Jesus sacrificed so that you might be set free to live for Him. Consider parenting as an example from everyday life. A baby comes into the world completely dependent on their parents and cannot grow into a self-sufficient adult unless their parents give up their own freedom for years.

As parents give of themselves to teach, support, and train their children, the child eventually becomes what God intends them to be. In the same way, Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, and we are called to follow His example. When you don’t feel like praising God, remember the sacrifice Jesus made for you.

Praise God for the Spirit

In the final verses of this passage, God’s Word turns to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. God the Father and Jesus the Son are in heaven, but after His resurrection, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit for every believer. We can praise God for what the Spirit has done in our lives.

God Has Sealed You with His Spirit

Ephesians 1:13 (NIV) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

When is a person included in Christ and when do they receive all the blessings we have been talking about today? It happens when they hear the word of truth, the Gospel, and when they believe. To believe is not simply to agree with facts about Jesus, but to trust your entire life and eternal destiny to Him.

When a person believes in that way, God marks them with His seal, the Holy Spirit. In New Testament times, important letters were sealed with hot wax and marked with a unique ring to show ownership and authenticity. In the same way, God has placed the seal of the Holy Spirit on every believer’s life, marking you as His own.

God’s Spirit Guarantees Your Inheritance

Ephesians 1:14 (NIV) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit is a deposit or down payment guaranteeing your inheritance. Your inheritance as a child of God includes everything He has prepared for you when Christ returns. The Spirit’s presence in your life is God’s promise that He will finish what He has started.

When Christ returns, you will receive a new glorified body, free from sin, pain, and suffering. Jesus has prepared a dwelling place for you where you will live with Him forever. What we experience now is only the beginning, because this life is the opening chapter of eternity.

Conclusion: Living as the Greatly Blessed

God sees you as greatly blessed in Christ, and He wants you to see yourself that way as well. I encourage you this week to meditate on the blessings found in this passage and to praise God for each one. You have been chosen to be God’s child since before the creation of the world.

You have been redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. God has planned your life to bring Him praise, and He has given you His Holy Spirit to help you live that out. Your glass is truly full with the blessings of God.

Make a decision this week to offer up a sacrifice of praise to God no matter what your circumstances may be. Praise Him continually and come ready to celebrate what He is doing in your life.

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