I want to circle back to 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." This verse contains two of the most theologically significant words in all of scripture. If you have an ink pen I want you to mark the phrase, "in Christ". Circle those two words. Underline them. Highlight them. Bookmark them. Memorize them.
What’s the big deal? Paul uses these words together over thirty times in Ephesians and more than a hundred times throughout the New Testament. These two words are more than a matter of life and death. They are your salvation. They are the Christian’s hope, his treasured possession, and an anchor for his soul. They express the essence of God’s desire for all of creation. God desires that we’d be in Christ.
If you have your scriptures I would like you to find Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV) and follow along with me. "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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. 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."
"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. 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."
"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. 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, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession— to the praise of his glory."
This passage is so overwhelming that it makes it hard to know exactly where to begin. Paul is expressing why it is so vital that the Christian is in Christ. This past week I was watching all these stupid reporters (Can I call them stupid?) standing in the fury of Hurricane Ivan with transformers blowing up behind them. The hurricane was one of the most powerful storms on record. It had sustained winds of up to one hundred thirty miles per hour. It smashed homes, crumbled bridges, caused billions of dollars in damage, and forced countless thousands to evacuate. It killed over one hundred people through the Caribbean and the United States, and these guys are out there with microphones. They say there is public safety value in helping people see how dangerous it is to be in the midst of a hurricane. People are more apt to seek a safe place when they see danger.
I see Ephesians as this kind of public service warning. This is a warning not to be the idiot with the microphone in the storm, but to see how vital it is to be, "in Christ". Those inside Christ and those outside Christ live in completely different realities.
Blessed in Christ
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV) says, " (God) has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." There is a general sense in which God blesses every person. Jesus said that God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. You don’t have to be, "in Christ" to taste God’s general blessings on earth. God is good. You have work. You have food, shelter, clothing, wealth, and a family. Praise God. What this verse is saying is that God blesses those in Christ in a very specific and unique way, and in a way that transcends the material blessings that all people generally enjoy. For the Christian there is a heavenly dimension to God’s blessings. There are eternal rewards and an eternal inheritance.
I was giving my testimony to the folks at Inner City Mission and I was telling them that I could have used my mind and skills to do anything I wanted. I wanted to make money. But God had another plan for my life and I was open to pursuing that plan. I gave up my material and economic ambitions and took a radical change of course which years later led me into full-time Christian service. One of the guys interrupted me and said, "I think it’s great that you made that sacrifice.”
But I interrupted him back, because this whole thing hasn’t felt like a sacrifice. Materially, I am completely content with my standard of living. But how can I assign a value to the intangible blessings of being married to a wonderful Christian woman, to having Christian friends, to forming eternal friendships with people like Pete Dinardo, to being able to share my hope in Christ on a daily basis, to helping reconcile marriages and heal families, and to turning people away from sin and restoring them to the path of righteousness?
Last night I was asked to speak at Berlin Christian Church for their one hundred eighty year anniversary. I drove away from there with this overwhelming, priceless feeling of joy knowing that God had worked through my life to touch and influence so many people. The greater cost and sacrifice would have been missing the spiritual for the material. A lot of people know what it is to be blessed by God. But those in Christ are especially blessed. And there just isn’t any comparison.
Chosen in Christ.
In Ephesians 1:4 (NIV) Paul writes, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."
I was looking at yesterday’s paper. The headline read, "7.1% minorities in city jobs compared with 20% of Springfield’s population." Minorities are underrepresented in the city’s work force. The NAACP calls it an embarrassment for the city. At best it is prejudice and at worst it is racism, right? We abhor the thought of one group being excluded in favor of another being chosen. We cry foul! We cringe at even the accusation of discrimination, and we should!
But think about what Paul is saying about those in Christ. God has chosen one hundred percent of those in Christ to be holy and blameless compared to zero percent of those outside of Christ. It's not racism because it's not based on race. But God discriminates. He distinguishes and is not neutral between those who are in Christ and those who are outside Christ. Even though all men are created equal, only those in Christ are chosen by God to be holy and blameless in God’s sight.
God has set only those in Christ apart. He has separated out only those in Christ from the great mass of humanity. His purpose is to create a holy people, a people who are pure and blameless, without spot or blemish, and free from accusation. A people who would strive toward the ideal of a godly, upright life. They would live lives worthy of imitation, lives that glorify Christ, and lives that reflect Christ’s image with every increasing measure. Our pluralistic, syncretistic, tolerant, multicultural society is falling out of love with the God of scripture. The God of scripture doesn’t choose everyone, only those in Christ.
Adopted in Christ
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NIV) says, "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."
When I was growing up, our next door neighbors were foster parents. Every few months someone new would come to live with them. A lot of these kids were my age, and I developed deep friendships with many of them. I remember one kid in particular. He had been shuffled from foster home to foster home. We used to sit on the swing-set and he would tell me all the horrible evil his mother and father did to him--- unspeakable evil acts.
His self-esteem, his physical appearance, his intelligence, and everything about him was affected by his horrible past. He felt so alienated and unloved. His dream was to be adopted and to have someone to call father and mother and for someone to call him son. He dreamed that someone would love him and welcome him and give him a home. But no one would choose him. No one would adopt him. He got passed over. At the time, our neighbors couldn’t legally adopt him, though I think they would have. To this day I don’t know what happened to him or where he went.
I know this isn’t what we want to hear, but not everyone gets adopted. Not everyone can call God his heavenly father. Not everyone gets called a son or daughter of the living God. Not everyone gets to be part of the family of God. Some get adopted and some never get adopted. Some remain spiritual orphans for life. As we will see in a moment, this has nothing to do with God’s love or lack thereof. It has everything to do with our love for God or lack thereof.
Graced in Christ
Ephesians 1:6-8 (NIV) speaks of God’s, "glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 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 writing these verses, think of the audacity Paul has here. Only those in Christ are blessed spiritually. Only those in Christ are chosen to be holy and blameless. Only those in Christ will be adopted as sons and daughters. Is there any more that can be piled on? How about this? Only those in Christ receive grace. Only those in Christ get redemption through Christ’s blood shed on the cross. Only those in Christ receive the forgiveness of their sins. Only those in Christ have the stain of sin washed from their souls by the blood of Christ. Only those in Christ experience the riches of God’s grace.
Illumined in Christ
Ephesians 1:9-10 (NIV) says, "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."
Only those in Christ know God’s purpose and plan for all of creation. God’s purpose is to bring everything in heaven and on earth together under Christ. God’s purpose is to establish an eternal kingdom where Christ is the king, and all of humanity is willingly subjected to Christ. All humanity will be bowing down in reverent submission and obedience, praising God as creator, and desiring nothing more than to live at the pleasure of the living God. Those outside of Christ are ignorant of God’s purpose and are hostile to God. They choose a lesser purpose. They go throughout all of life scratching their heads, wondering what the meaning of life is. Is it raising my family? Watching television? Playing video games? Exercising? Amassing wealth? Building a homestead? Being successful? Becoming famous? Working?
It never dawns on those outside Christ that we exist for God’s pleasure and that God is most pleased when we live for him. Repentance is not turning away from sin. It's choosing to live for God, pleasing him in every way.
Set Apart in Christ
Ephesians 1:11-14 (NIV) is partially a summary, "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. 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, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession— to the praise of his glory."
Those in Christ have been marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. In New Testament times hot wax would be used to seal a package or scroll. The wax seal would then have an identifying mark of ownership stamped unto it. If you’ve ever received a UPS package, the packages have a very distinctive marking that cannot be forged. It isn’t text. It isn’t a barcode, though UPS packages have them. It isn’t even an image really. It appears as random clusters of dots in unintelligible shapes. It's black and white. When the computer scans that marking, it instantly knows where the package belongs, who owns it, and what its contents are. It's amazing technology.
Those in Christ bear God’s stamp of ownership. They are sealed with the identifying mark of the Holy Spirit that says, "This one belongs to the living God. This one has a heavenly destination. This one is guaranteed an eternal inheritance."
Are you in Christ?
So here is the crux of the issue for us this morning. Only those in Christ are blessed. Only those in Christ are chosen. Only those in Christ are adopted. Only those in Christ are graced with forgiveness. Only those in Christ know God’s desire. Only those in Christ are marked for salvation. I don’t know about you, but I kind of want to know if I’m one of the ones in Christ! I don’t want to be standing in the hellish hurricane of God’s wrath and rejection. I want to be included in Christ. I want to be blessed, chosen, adopted, graced, and marked.
Well, here is what you need to do as soon as possible. You need to get into Christ. Noah had to get into the ark in order to be saved. The Christian has to get into Christ. Christ is God’s chosen vessel of salvation for the Christian. Ephesians 1:13 (NIV) says, "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…"
How do you get into Christ? You believe. You trust Jesus Christ. You confess your sins and you repent from sin and turn back to God. You pledge your life to Christ in the waters of baptism. You make a decision to enter God’s chosen vessel of salvation. How much longer are you going to wait to do that? What additional information do you need to know? How many more weeks will you sit there, procrastinating on the most important decision of your life? How long will you keep gambling with time?
You know where God wants you to be. He wants you to be in Christ! He wants you to be blessed, chosen, adopted, graced, loved, forgiven, redeemed, marked, and sealed. The Bible says that God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Why would you want anything less than what God wants for your life?
No fancy invitations here today. It's time to move in from the outside. It's time to get in Christ. Here is the line. If you are ready to get in Christ, come forward and cross it.