Declare the Word - Blessings 4-5-6

As we continue with learning the eighteen blessings that we have in Christ as listed in the first three chapters of Ephesians, we look to Ephesians 1:3 which says: Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. In our last two episodes, we looked at blessings 1, 2, and 3 out of the eighteen blessings listed.

Blessing #1
We have been chosen by God (because of Christ) before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4)

Blessing #2
Because of Christ, we have been adopted into the family of God. (Eph 1:5)

Blessing #3
It pleases God to become part of His family - we are loved and accepted - all because of Christ. (Eph 1:6)

Blessing #4

As we look at blessings #4 out of the eighteen blessings listed in these first three chapters of Ephesians, we go to the very next two verses which says Eph 1:7-8 In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence...

This word redemption means to redeem - buy back - pay for, which we read, that in and through Christ, we have been brought back to God through the shed blood of Jesus, giving us forgiveness of sins. Without Christ in our lives, this could never have happened, but God loves us so much and He sent His Son to earth to pay the penalty for man's sins. And when we choose to receive that redemption, confessing our sins - as listed in other scriptures, we then have forgiveness of our sins.

Confessings our sins, or as other scripture verses tell us - to repent, simply means to change from what we did, admitting it was wrong, and change our directions to God's ways, purposing to never to repeat that sin again. That was God's prudence, which in Greek means God carefully planned out ahead of time to be wise in His planning for our lives.

• God carefully planned out the redemption of our sins through the shed blood of His Son, which is His wisdom and descretion, and was preplanned before the foundation of the world. That's a lot to take in. Wow!

Blessing #5

Blessing #5 takes us again to the next verse - in verse 9 of chapter 1 of Ephesians, which says: Eph 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself...

• What is this mystery of His will that God has made known to us?

This is a mystery that none of the Old Testament saints had any clue on, but it has been made known to us as believers and followers of Christ...and that is Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension - in other words, the Gospel.

The Gospel was hidden from the saints in the Old Testament, but we now have privy to what the Gospel is and how this mystery of the Gospel includes us - that is because Christ was resurrected from the dead, living forevermore, so can we be resurrected from the dead, having to spend eternity co-ruling and co-reigning with Christ forevermore.

That is a mystery that belongs to us - the Church - for we are the Body of Christ - a part of God's family, chosen before the foundation of the world, adopted into His Kingdom, and it gives God great pleasure to do so have us as a part of His family.

Blessing #6

Again, we go to the next verse to find Blessing #6: Eph 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him.

Dispensation of the fullness of the times simply means a period of time when God works with mankind to accomplish His purpose. So then, in the fullness of this period of time when God is working with the Gentiles to build the Church - when it is completed, God will join the Jews and the Gentiles together as one in Christ. 

• All Jews throughout history who have been faithful to God, believing in the Messiah to come, which would include Jews today who believe and follow Jesus, will be joined together with all Gentile believers and followers of Jesus together as one in Christ.
• There will no longer be a division between the Jews and Christians, but we will all be together as one in Christ.
• This was all planned by God and God's promise to us.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Gal. 3:28-29 that There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

There are also those who also look at this as either the Rapture or more probable the 2nd coming of Christ - where all of God's people will be joined together as One, serving Christ together. That day is quickly approaching.

These are quite some blessings that God has given us - and we need to keep declaring them over ourselves as well as out to others.

• The more you declare it out loud to yourself and to others, the sooner you will believe it. That is how God created us to get His promises on the inside of us.
• That goes for all of God's Word. Let's take God at His Word, speak it out of our mouth, declaring it over our lives and out to others, for that is how you are going to receive and accept God's blessings as your blessings from God.

Be blessed!