Ephesians • Rejoice in the Treasure of Your Spiritual Blessings

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Our God says we don’t have to chase fantasies. He offers us the best jackpot anyone could want. From the moment you say yes to Jesus, you are brought to a place of blessing where you are lavished with treasure in Christ. Do you like treasure? In the last article in this series, we looked at the treasure we receive of being rescued from darkness. This is post #4 in the Ephesians blog series. In this post, we will rejoice as we finger all the spiritual blessing jewels we have from Christ in our treasure chest.

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from the Seek the Treasure Bible Study covering Ephesians in the New Testament. (8 lessons)

Chasing Fantasies

In Ephesus, the people would chase after anything that would give them protection from their scary world and guarantee what they considered to be a “successful” life. But when you look at all their superstitions and the impotence of their religious practices, you quickly recognize that they were chasing fantasies. And every substitute power they tried took them further away from that which could really bless their lives.

Chasing fantasies reminds me about the lure of the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. Have you ever bought a lottery ticket or entered a game to win a huge jackpot? We do that because we want all the blessings of prosperity in one easy package. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all those riches to enjoy?

Chasing such fantasies is not a good thing. Our God says we don’t have to chase fantasies. He offers us the best jackpot anyone could want. From the moment you say yes to Jesus, and the relationship He offers you, you are brought to a place of blessing where you are lavished with treasure in Christ.

Lavished with Treasure

I love that word “lavished!” To lavish means “to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities.” It’s like those pictures of treasure chests so filled with coins and jewels that the treasure is overflowing its sides. That’s the kind of treasure we get from God. And you get it all at once as a package deal the moment you place your faith in Jesus Christ. It’s part of your new grace-created identity in Christ. You get every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Paul described some of those spiritual riches that belong to you in Ephesians 1:3-14. As you read through those verses, it’s like opening a treasure chest, picking up the jewels, and letting them cascade through your fingers, praising God for each one. Isn’t that a beautiful word picture? Let’s spend some time dwelling on these spiritual blessing jewels that are yours and mine.

EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

First, we need to know that we receive EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:3 says this,

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. (Ephesians 1:3)

We receive every spiritual blessing in Christ because of Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection.

For more information about Christ’s finished work on the cross, read “God’s Gospel Message” blog series.

These blessings are associated with something called “the heavenly realms.” Paul used this phrase 5 times in Ephesians. The heavenly realms are the unseen world of spiritual reality. It is a dimension we do not see. God and all angelic beings, both good and bad, operate in this unseen dimension. We learned about the powers there in Lesson 2. Any time you ask God to heal someone or work in someone’s life, you are thinking about this unseen world.

When Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, He was exalted over all the powers there in the unseen world—the angels, the demons, and Satan. We saw that in Ephesians 1:20-22. We as believers, all of us (the whole Church), join Christ there. In God’s mind, that’s where we are. We learned that from Ephesians 2:6. The Church is God’s display of His wisdom. Ephesians 3:10 says that we are trophies of His grace, on display to those powers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

Because of His love for us, God chooses to lavish upon us every spiritual blessing He has to give. These are the jewels in our God-given treasure chest. Let’s look at these blessing jewels as though they were individual gemstones.

The first blessing jewel is this …

The Blessing Jewel of Being Chosen to Be Holy and Blameless

Ephesians 1:4 says this,

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

The whole concept of God choosing, who He chose, and why has been debated by theologians for years. The definition of the underlying Greek word translated chosen is what you’d expect it to be: “to pick out, select, to choose for oneself.” Part of what God meant by His choosing will remain a mystery until He reveals it to us in heaven. But there are a few things we can know for sure about what “chosen” means or doesn’t mean.

Just from Ephesians 1:4, here’s what we know the word “chosen” can mean.

What “chose us” can mean:

We know the word “chosen” can mean that God had a plan from the beginning for all believers to be in Christ and to be made holy and blameless in Him. God put Christ and us together in His mind from the beginning. That was His plan. Once you and I believe in Christ, the Bible says that we are considered chosen from that moment forward.

The significance in Ephesians is Paul’s use of the word “chosen” to refer to Christians. Before Christ came, the Jews were the ones considered God’s chosen people. Now, we know God had another chosen people who were actually chosen first—before the creation of the world, before the Jews were selected. God’s plan created a new people for Himself through Christ. Whether Jew or Gentile, all Christians are now called chosen.

Those are truths about what chosen can mean. What can it not mean?

What “chose us” cannot mean:

To be chosen does not mean that God chose some to love and some to not love before any were ever born. God loves everyone, and everyone can believe in Him (John 3:16). And it doesn’t mean that some people shouldn’t be told about the gospel because God hasn’t chosen them to be saved. The Bible teaches that God wants all people to believe in Him and be saved.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and trust in Him alone for salvation, you are saved and you are, therefore, chosen because your identity is in Christ, not in yourself.

To be holy and blameless in Christ:

Believers are chosen by God for a purpose—to be made holy and blameless in Christ. By faith in Jesus Christ, God declares you holy in His sight. To be “holy” means to be declared “set apart from sin. God declares you holy because of your faith in Jesus Christ, not your behavior. It absolutely amazes me that God looks upon me and calls me holy in His sight. Doesn’t that amaze you?

The Bible term for being made holy is sanctification. It means more than just being set apart from sin. It also means having a different status before God. Every believer has been set apart as God’s special, beloved possession for His exclusive use. Sanctified ones are called “holy people” and “saints” in the New Testament as the Ephesians are called saints in 1:1.

You are also “being made holy” in your thoughts, words, and actions by the work of the Holy Spirit. This is ongoing from the moment of salvation until the Lord comes or you die, when your “being made holy” is complete. The Spirit transforms us into the likeness of Christ so that we become in thought and behavior what we are in status—holy as God is holy. All of Ephesians chapters 4-6 describe what that looks like.

Because you’ve trusted in Christ and are now found in Him, you can know and live with confidence that in His eyes, you are perfected and no longer flawed. Blameless.

Read more about your sanctification in the blog, “Sanctification: Perfected…No Longer Flawed.”

Being chosen to be holy and blameless is one blessing jewel in our treasure chest. Here’s another one.

The Blessing Jewel of Being Predestined for Adoption

Ephesians 1:5 says this,

“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…” (Ephesians 1:5)

Predestined is another word or concept that causes confusion and usually some anger.

What “predestined” does mean:

Predestined means that God had determined or decided something beforehand. Jesus’ crucifixion was part of God’s predetermined plan. Believers being conformed to the likeness of Jesus is part of God’s predetermined plan. Being chosen to be holy and blameless is part of that predetermined plan. Here in verse 5, God predetermined our adoption as sons & daughters.

Adoption was a big deal among the Greeks and Romans, who granted the adopted son all the privileges of a natural son, including inheritance rights. You as His adopted child receive the full inheritance that God gave to Jesus to give to you. It has nothing to do with gender. It has everything to do with status. God does this because of His love for you.

What “predestined” cannot mean:

Predestined does not mean that you are a puppet with no control over your “destiny.” God’s rules are clear. Individuals choose to believe in Christ and receive all the spiritual blessings plus heaven. Or individuals choose to not believe and receive nothing plus eternal separation from God.

In love, our God predestined us to be adopted as His natural children and heirs. You are a daughter of Almighty God. God predestined you for that. That’s another blessing jewel in your treasure chest. But wait. You also have…

The Blessing Jewels of Redemption, Forgiveness, and Being Lavished with God’s Grace

Ephesians 1:6-8 say this,

…to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us… (Ephesians 1:6-8)

What is the jewel of redemption through His blood?

The jewel of redemption

In the last podcast, we talked about how everyone born on this planet is born into the kingdom of darkness where Satan blinds their minds and where the world entices their rebellion against God through gratifying their sinful desires. Romans chapter 6 describes this bondage as slavery to sin where the slave master “sin” calls the shots. Obedience comes too easily. But you are released from all of that when you trust in Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this “redemption.”

To redeem means to buy back or pay a ransom price for freedom. Christ paid your price for redemption with His own blood. God redeems you to rescue you from the dominion of darkness and bring you into His wonderful light. You then become the possession of a loving, merciful God and can live in the security of your freedom from bondage to sin. You have a new master now with greater power living inside of you—the Spirit of God Himself. God’s power can give you freedom from any entrapping sin.

Having redemption means you have been released and are no longer in bondage to sin and guilt. You now have the freedom to live a life that pleases God in every way. That’s the jewel of redemption.

For more about redemption, read this blog, “Redemption: Released…No Longer in Bondage.”

Then, there’s…

The jewel of forgiveness of sins

Many of us carry the guilt of our sins like a heavy burden, weighing us down. All of our debt of sin before God is enormous. We could never pay for it all. But God stepped in and did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He transferred our sin to a substitute, Jesus, and it was taken away.

Once you place your faith in Jesus Christ, whatever you’ve done that was wrong in God’s eyes from the time you were born through the time of your death has been canceled. Taken away. All of it. Past, present and future. Nailed to the cross. At the moment of your salvation, forgiveness is complete and continual. Ephesians 1:7 says that in Christ, you possess forgiveness of sins. You have been forgiven and are no longer burdened by your sin and guilt. That’s the jewel of forgiveness. This next jewel makes my heart soar.

Read more about forgiveness in this blog, “Forgiven…No Longer Burdened by Guilt.”

The jewel of being lavished with His grace

What do you think about when you hear the word “lavished?” To lavish means “to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities.” God’s grace is poured out upon us richly. He lavishes us with it. God is not stingy with His grace.

Someone who doesn’t understand God’s grace might be looking at this teaching and looking at all the imperfect Christians walking around planet Earth and think that God is being reckless because we certainly don’t deserve it. Reckless is extravagant. God’s grace is extravagantly reckless toward us. Grace is what God does to make men and women acceptable to Him. We can’t earn such favor. We don’t deserve such favor. And we will never merit such favor.

God’s Grace is summed up in the name, person, and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive this favor or acceptance from God as a free gift through faith in Christ. And grace is continually being given to us for daily living as well.

Read more about being lavished with God’s grace in this blog, “Pathway #2: Bask in the Grace of God.”

Being redeemed, forgiven, and lavished with His grace are beautiful blessing jewels in our treasure chest. So is this next one.

The Blessing Jewel of Revelation

Ephesians 1:9-10 say this,

With all wisdom and understanding, 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 reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

A mystery in the Bible is something that is kept hidden in the heart of God until He chooses to reveal it. God has made known to us a mystery that was kept hidden until Christ came. In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul wrote that part of the mystery being revealed is that the Gentiles and the Jews are joined together through the gospel into this one body called the Body of Christ. We’ll discover more about that in the next lesson.

But right here in Ephesians chapter 1 we see another part of God’s plan for the future revealed to us so we can know it. His future plan will bring all things in heaven and on earth together under the headship of Christ, under His powerful authority and leadership.

What God planned in the past and enabled in the present through Christ and the cross will be put into effect universally in the future. We get to know about this now. Things will finally make sense…at the right time, of course…which He hasn’t revealed to us. We know the what, but we don’t know the when.

Why does God give us this revelation? It is to give us hope as we live in this fallen world. Hope is tremendously important. We’re part of Jesus’ heavenly Kingdom now. One day, we will be part of His Kingdom on earth. What God has promised will happen. Woohoo!

Read more about Jesus’ coming kingdom in these blogs, “Mark 1 • Jesus and the Kingdom of God,” “Zechariah 9-14 • Your King Comes,” and “Revelation 19-20 • Perspective on Jesus’ Kingdom on Earth.”

The blessing jewel of revelation is great to have in our treasure chest. The last one I want to cover in this podcast is …

The Blessing Jewel of Being Sealed and Secured by The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13-14 say this,

When you 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. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Remember that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Our God is one God but three persons. The Spirit is not an impersonal “it” or simply an influence. But He is a personal being just as the Father and the Son are persons.

The Holy Spirit is the first gift we receive from God when we trust in Jesus for salvation. He is the one who gives spiritual life to the spiritually blind and dead person the moment she believes in Jesus. He delivers to us all the blessing jewels in our treasure chest. He also marks every Christian with the seal of God’s ownership. What does that mean?

What is meant by “marked with a seal?”

A seal in New Testament times was a form of identification used to authenticate and protect legal documents. Like a copyright. A document was rolled up, a small pool of melted wax was placed across the overlapping edges, and a signet ring belonging to the official was pressed into the wax. The seal carried with it the idea of ownership, identification, security, permanence, and completeness.

God marks His people as His own through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What does that mean for you? God’s seal means that…

You are wanted, valuable, and important.

You are God’s child and will receive all the inheritance promised to His children—such as heaven, new bodies, and living with Christ in His kingdom.

You are prepared through all your blessing jewels for your life in Christ on earth and also for life in heaven.

God the Father does the sealing. The Holy Spirit is the seal. It takes place the moment you believe in Jesus Christ. Nowhere are you exhorted to ask for it so it must be universal and immediate. It is also permanent. There is no power greater than God who can break the seal, including you.

We are guaranteed all that God has promised for our future. The Holy Spirit being present within us assures us that we are God’s possession, that He won’t forget about us when Jesus returns, that we go to be with Him when we die, that our sins will never again count against us, that we are new creatures, and that all those spiritual blessing jewels in Christ are ours forever.

Read more about the Holy Spirit’s presence with us in these blogs, “Acts 2 • Spirit Baptism,” “Acts 4-6 • Spirit Filling,” and “Ephesians • Depend on the Treasure of God’s Empowering Presence.”

These are your spiritual blessings in Christ to be enjoyed now, meeting the deepest needs of your heart. These have nothing to do with your finances, your health, or your earthly family status. They will never rust, rot, or disappear. These treasures given to you in Christ are more valuable than anything you could provide for yourself.

In the next post, we will bask in the treasure of being dearly loved by our God.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with the confidence that the treasure you have in Him is more powerful and valuable than anything you could substitute for Him.

All of the above information is covered in the Seek the Treasure Bible Study covering Ephesians in the New Testament.

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