Focus: I'm So Blessed!

Text: Jh.1:16

"We all live off his generous abundance, gift after gift after gift."

The psalmist says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation" (Ps.68:19). God has blessed us and keeps blessing us, blessing after blessing. Paul says to a church, "And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the FULNESS OF THE BLESSING of the gospel of Christ" (Rom.15:29). God's blessing for us is superabundance. It is incalculable, unquantifiable and inexhaustible.

The book of Ephesians is a book of praise and prayer. Chapter 1 is divided into two, of which part one is praise, and part two is prayer. In part one, Paul blesses God for having blessed us. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph.1:3). We are so blessed of God. Our blessings are so full and do overflow. Our blessings flow from the death of Christ. The blessings we enjoy as Christians flow from the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us go through Ephesians chapter one and see how blessed we are in Christ.

Paul tells us in Ephesians one that:

• We are CHOSEN

Before there was ever a world in existence God chose us. Among everything God had created man is God's number one. God is mindful of man. He is the crown of creation. Man tops God's list of the whole created order.

• We are loved

God loves us unconditionally and eternally. His love ensures that we are made holy and blameless. God loves us:

*Lavishly

*Openly

*Verily

*Extremely

• We are predestined

God picked us out for Himself ahead of time. Our predestination took place in Christ, and that means that whoever believes in Him is among the predestined.

• We are adopted as sons

Through the regeneration of the Spirit or spiritual rebirth God has placed us in His family as children and given us the position of adult sons by adoption.

• We are accepted in Christ

In Christ God has accepted us to Himself. The word 'accepted' speaks of grace. God has 'graced' us in Christ. We are recipients and products of God's grace.

• We are redeemed and forgiven

God has redeemed us and bought us from the slave market, loosed us from the chains of slavery, and brought us out of the slave market. God has granted us pardon for our sins and washed us in the blood of Jesus Christ. We are now free at last and free forever.

• We have obtained an inheritance

Our lots have fallen to us in pleasant places. In Christ we have obtained an imperishable inheritance. We are blessed beyond measure and loved beyond logic. We are eternally privileged.

• We are sealed with the Spirit

God has by the Spirit sealed us for the day of final redemption. Our spirits are saved. Our souls are being sanctified and cleansed. Our bodies shall be saved from the shackles of mortality.

• We are empowered and emboldened

The resurrection power of God is available to all of us. God has given us the 'exousia' - authority, the 'dunamis' - ability, the 'kratos' and 'ischus' - ruling and forceful powers. The power we possess is exceedingly great. The cross of Christ satisfies our need for pardon. Pentecost takes care of our need for power.

I could go on and on in buttressing the point of how blessed we are in Christ. We are incomparably blessed in Christ. Our blessings cover time and eternity. Child of God, in Jesus Christ you are so blessed that time and eternity cannot exhaust the blessings. Experience and enjoy your blessings in Christ. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter