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(Eph. 1:7-12) Intro: I recently found a check in a shirt that I had not worn for a month. I was twenty dollars richer than I thought I was. I hurriedly went to the bank and cashed it. In Christ, we are richer than we think! God help us to cash in on what is ours in Him! *"riches" v.7=vast wealth; "abounded" v.8=above and beyond We are spiritual millionaires! Notice all the unseen treasures in the previous verses: election (v.4), predestination (v.5), adoption (v.5), acceptance (v.6), and now. 1. The Redemption Of Our Souls (v. 7) *"redemption"=to liberate by the payment of a ransom. A. The Person of redemption - "in Whom" cf. "in" through Ch. B. The possession of redemption - "we have"/now/not distant C. The power of redemption - "blood"/cf. 1Pet. 1:18,19 *Illus. Wealthy Englishman bought African slave to free him. 2. The Remission Of Our Sins (v. 7) *"forgiveness" is used interchangeably with "remission" in NT A. The concept of forgiveness - "to carry away, to remove" B. The connection of forgiveness - w/redemption; Matt.26:28 C. The celebration of forgiveness - sins"=faults/Ex. scapegoat *Illus. "According to"=dominated by/Prodigal/Gone (papers?) 3. The Revelation Of Our Status (v.8-12) *"will"=design, determination/big word in Ch.(see 1: 1;5;9; 11) A. Our insight - The God Who knows all "hath made known" B. Our inclusion - Gentiles brought into the big plan - v.10 C. Our inheritance - a predetermined allotment in Him! v.11 *We're somebody in Jesus! Conclusion : A preacher friend inherited the old home place. His dad had tried to talk to him 2 or 3 times before his death, but my friend changed the subject. After living there for several years, $30,000 was found hidden in an old freezer chest, no doubt what dad wanted to talk to him about. We're richer than we think! Sermon By Evangelist
Tom Hayes- E-Mail |