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OF UNION WITH CHRIST: Ephesians 1:3-14 - Shepherd School

Ephesians 1:3-14

March 22, 2021 • Brett Baggett

BIG IDEA: If you are united to Christ, you have been spiritually blessed by God. Indeed every spiritual blessing flows through Christ and only through Christ. These blessings are given to the praise of God’s glorious grace!

I. IF YOU ARE UNITED TO CHRIST, YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY BLESSED BY GOD (v. 3)

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

II. HOW YOU HAVE BEEN SPIRITUALLY BLESSED IN CHRIST

I) If you are united to Christ, you have been blessed with election (v. 4a)

Ephesians 1:4a “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,”

II) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with positional and final holiness and blamelessness (v. 4b)

Ephesians 1:4b ”that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

III) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with predestination (v. 4c-5a)

Ephesians 1:4c-5a “In love he predestined us”

IV) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with adoption (v. 5b)

Ephesians 1:5b “for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,”

V) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with God's kindness (v. 5c)

Ephesians 1:5c “according to the purpose of his will,” ("kind intention of His will" NASB)

VI) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with redemption (v. 7a)

Ephesians 1:7a “In him we have redemption through his blood,”

VII) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with forgiveness (v. 7b)

Ephesians 1:7b “the forgiveness of our trespasses,”

VIII) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with richly lavished grace (v. 7c-8)

Ephesians 1:7c-8 “which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight”

IX) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with the revelation of the mystery of God's will (v. 9-10)

Ephesians 1:9-10 “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

X) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with an inheritance (v. 11-12)

Ephesians 1:11-12 “11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

XI) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 13)

Ephesians 1:13-14a “13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,”

XII) If you are in Christ, you have been blessed with security and assurance (v. 14a)

Ephesians 1:14a “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,”

III. WHY YOU ARE BLESSED

I) In Christ, you have been blessed to the praise of God's glorious grace

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Ephesians 1:12 “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:14b “to the praise of his glory.”

CHRIST JESUS, THE ONLY REDEEMER OF GOD’S ELECT: Galatians 3:10-14

January 30, 2023 • Brett Baggett • Galatians 3:10–14

DOCTRINE: Christ Jesus, the only Redeemer of God’s elect, redeemed His people by becoming a curse so that we would receive the blessing.

THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST: Isaiah 7:14

February 6, 2023 • Brett Baggett • Isaiah 7:14

DOCTRINE. Jesus became man to be God with us; he will rescue us from our great enemies and keep us safe in His love.

THE OFFICES OF CHRIST: Zechariah 6:12-13

February 13, 2023 • Brett Baggett • Zechariah 6:12–13

DOCTRINE. As our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ executes the offices of prophet, king, and priest according to the covenant made between He and His Father.