Sermon preached by Rev. Larry C. Brincefield on November 24, 2004
Title: Ephesians #4
Text: Ephesians 1:11-14
Introduction
1. On the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands there are two Thanksgiving days.
• In addition to the usual one celebrated by Americans,
• they have a Hurricane Thanksgiving Day on October 25.
• It marks the end of the hurricane season.
• On July 25th, they celebrate Supplication Day,
• On that day, they recognize the beginning of the Hurricane season.
• On Supplication Day all citizens of St. Croix are urged to pray that their little island will be spared from the devastation of the hurricanes.
• But they are not content with that…,
• At the end of the season, they appoint a day to thank God that their prayers were answered, …
• As I said, They call it "Hurricane Thanksgiving Day."
• Isn’t that a great attitude?
2. I feel that most Christians have a great number of supplication days…
• Where they cry out for God’s mercy and help…
• but too few thanksgiving days…
• to thank God after He’s responded to the supplication.—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
3. Well, we’ve certainly enjoyed our Bible Study in Ephesians thus far.
• We’ve talked the last couple of weeks about some of the spiritual blessings that we have…
• Which has gone along nicely with our Sunday Morning sermons too…
• Sure, we praise the Lord for PHYSICAL blessings…
• But sometimes we focus so much on the physical blessings…
• That we overlook the SPIRITUAL blessings.
4. Here in our study in Ephesians, Paul has been quick to point out some wonderful spiritual blessings…
• As much as I’d like to review them tonight…
• I’ll let you review them for yourself in your own Bible Study…
• But as we study the next paragraph of Scripture…
• We will see that Paul continues on this theme of spiritual blessings…
• And with Thanksgiving coming tomorrow…
• This certainly is very appropriate for our study
Read Text: Ephesians 1:11-14
Body
1. We have obtained an inheritance
A. The KJV says, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,”
• This inheritance was predestined…
• God foreordained for us to have this inheritance…
• This inheritance is from God…
• We are His heirs…
B. When someone real rich dies…
• They leave an inheritance…
• They leave their money and worldly possessions behind…
• And their family is the beneficiary…
• Now, we know that God is eternal…
• And He will never die…
• But that doesn’t stop Him from giving us an inheritance…
• We are beneficiaries of God’s grace…
• We are beneficiaries of eternal life…
• That’s quite an inheritance, isn’t it?
• Sure beats a couple million dollars…
• And being drug through the courts by angry family members…
• Fighting over their earthly inheritance!
C. Our Scripture says that this inheritance is “in order that we…might be for the praise of His glory”.
• Initially, this looks like Paul is talking about the Jews…
• In fact, when he talks about “we” being chosen…
• He means the Jews…
• And, if verse 13 didn’t exist in our Bible…
• We might feel that we are missing out on something special…
• Something that is only available to the Jew…
• And not to us who are Gentiles…
• But in verse 13, Paul says, “and you also were included in Christ when you heard the words of truth, the Gospel of your salvation”…
• That’s means us…
• We aren’t excluded…
• We are included in the inheritance…
• We are included in the spiritual blessing…
• That is, we, who have heard the words of truth…
• And responded to the Gospel…
• the Good News that Jesus saves…
• and it has become our salvation…
• and, going back to verse 12…
• so that we might be for the praise of His glory”
• when we spread the Good News that Jesus saves…
• and people respond to that message of truth…
• that glorifies God.
• God is glorified when God’s people spread God’s message…And lost people respond
2. Another spiritual blessing, We are marked with a Seal…
A. That Seal being the Holy Spirit.
• Barclay says, “In the ancient world--it is a custom still followed--when a sack, or a crate, or a package was dispatched, it was sealed with a seal, in order to indicate from where it had come and to whom it belonged. The possession of the Holy Spirit is the seal which shows that a man belongs to God. —Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
• When the Holy Spirit fills us…
• That is like a seal that shows ownership…
• Some people mark all their books…
• So when other people read them…
• They will know that they belong to that person.
• In the same way…we belong to God…
• Paul uses the same language in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22…
• Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
B. Illus: One of our ambassadors to a foreign country recently said, "You have invited me to tell you about the duties of an ambassador. Let me begin by telling you first of the embassy, the place where we live. The embassy is a little spot of America set down in an alien land. On the walls we have pictures of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the President of the United States, with a big flag—Old Glory—high over everything. When we had prohibition in the United States we had prohibition in the embassy. Inside the embassy the laws of our own country are supreme. We celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July. Outside, it is different. We celebrate none of these. Let me repeat, the embassy is a little spot of America in an alien land."—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
• In a way, I picture us like that…
• We are an embassy of the Holy Spirit…
• We belong to Him…
• We celebrate the things of the Spirit…
• We obey the Spirit…
• We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit…
• We are like a little spot of holiness in an alien land…
C. Our Scripture goes on and says that the Holy Spirit 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 like a down payment that you might put on a house or a car…
• What we experience now…in this life…
• Is just a down payment…
• It is just a small part of what it will be like in heaven one day…
• Yes, we have great blessings because of the Holy Spirit in our lives…
• In fact, our spiritual blessing is sometimes overwhelming…
• We just don’t have the words to express…
• And yet, the realization that this is just a small part…
• This is just the down payment…
• This is just a small taste of heaven…
• One day, if we remain faithful…
• We will get the pay off…
• We will get the full blessing…
• Not that we find anything lacking here on earth…
• But heaven will be so much different…
• So much better.
Conclusion
1. Well, praise God for His many blessings…
• Tonight, during our prayer time…
• I’d like us to spend time in thanksgiving…
• Thanking God for our blessings…
• Both physical…and spiritual…
• I’m sure we spend most of our prayer time in supplication…
• I’m sure that we are like St. Croix…
• And we find time to cry out to God for protection and help…
• But let us also take the time for Thanksgiving!
Prayer needs:
Guided prayer time.
1. Thank God for His Sovereignty…He is in control…
• Acknowledge that to God and Thank Him…
2. Thank God for the beauty of Creation…
• It is His handiwork, take a moment to thank Him…
3. Thank God for the plan of salvation…
• Remember the sacrifice that it cost Him…and be thankful
4. Thank God for His providence…
• God always provides in abundance…thank Him for it.
5. Thank God for physical blessings…
• Home, health, life, breath, family, friends, church, food. Etc
6. Thank God for spiritual blessings…
• Your salvation, the presence of the Lord every day, helping you.
Turn to Supplication…
7. Remember our prayer needs:
• Carl Loew, Ted Rissmiller’s mom, Van Vorce’s, Glendel,
8. Remember our lost loved ones…
9. Pray for strength to be a godly example in a sinful world.
10. Pray for our country, military, leaders, our enemies,
11. Pray for our services Sunday…
• That the Lord will be so very near…
12 Pray for the Christmas season…
• That this will be a time of great spiritual growth for you and for our church.
13. Finally, thank the Lord in advance…
• Because we have faith that He WILL answer our prayers.
And all the people said, AMEN!!!
