Eph 1:4-7 - Yearning for the Spiritual Blessings of Christ - Made Holy, Blameless. Being Adopted. Redeemed. Forgiven. Lavished.

We have talked about setting our hearts to yearn for spiritual blessings in Christ. Now just what are they?

• We would be holy and blameless before Him. (Eph 1:4)
• Adoption as sons. (1:5)
• Redeemed through His blood. (1:7)
• Forgiveness of our trespasses (1:7)
• Lavished on us the riches of His grace (1:7)

Do we find the above blessings relevant? Are you yearning for it? If not, it is because we have our eyes still fixated on the blessings of the world? For where our treasure is, our hearts will be also. But by the mercy of God, let us learn to yearn for spiritual blessings.

The spiritual blessings of Ephesians which God lavished on us richly (1:7) have compared to the analogy of a bank cheque book which you can write any amount and any number of cheques and the account will NEVER run dry. You can always, seek from God, these riches and it will never run dry. Its like a fish who drinks from the ocean and the ocean will never run dry. Its like breathing air from the vastness of the earth and never running out of oxygen. Let's study what these blessings are.

First set of Spiritual Blessings: Made holy and blameless. Adopted as sons. Redeemed. Forgiven.

We are drenched in our sin. Lavish lusts, sexual lusts, lies, jealously, hatred. Sinful to the core, that no one can fathom. Yet God, is willing to make us holy and blameless? Willing to forgive us?

There was a story of a mongolian king, who wanted to stem crime in his country, set a law that whoever was caught committing a crime, who have to have his arm cut off. Because of this law, the crime rate subsided. Yet one day, it was brought to his attention that someone got caught! As he met the criminal, he got the shock of his life. The criminal was none other than his own mother. He wanted to spare his mother, however, everyone including his mother and himself was under the law. She had come under the curse of the law and the law requires a penalty for it.

In order to spare his mother and yet without her having to have her arm cut off, the king could only do one thing. Had his own arm cut off to substitute that of his mother. In doing so, he had paid the penalty of the law. He had ransomed his mother's crime. He had redeemed her iniquity.

We likewise are like the mother who committed a crime. Our sins requires a penalty which is eternal destruction. However, our loving Father sent His son, to pay the penalty for us by dying on the cross for us. Through the blood of Christ, we are made holy and blameless righteous before God, forgiven by God.

We are sons of sins. Yearning to sin. We have no value. Yet, God is willing to spare no efforts, even to the point of killing His son, to adopt us as sons? To redeem with such a huge price, people of absolute zero value?

What does this purification, adoption, redemption and forgiveness mean? That we do not have to stand before the great white throne of judgement, receiving sentences that condemn us to eternal hell. But rather, we stand before the seat of Christ, preparing to receive our rewards. Do you appreciate this? Have you ever thanked God for this?

More spiritual blessings to consider in the next article.