Sermon Central
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Spiritual Blessings Part 2 Series
Contributed by Larry Brincefield on Jun 9, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: Sermon Series on the Book of Ephesians. This one happened to go along with the Thanksgiving Theme.
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…
