From AD 54-68, the Roman emperor was Nero. Here are some of the hallmarks of his reign: He married five people (three women and two men), having one of his wives killed in order to marry his friend’s wife. He had his mother killed in a power struggle. When much of Rome burned, he blamed it on the Christians and had some of them burned alive to light his gardens. It was under Nero that both Peter and Paul were killed (Peter by crucifixion and Paul by beheading). If you had been a Christian living during this time, can you imagine the relief and joy it must have been to know that the real king who would have the ultimate victory was Jesus?
In our own time, we can find ourselves feeling lied to by people in power. Have you ever been disappointed when your candidate got elected and didn’t make good on their promises? Ever been disillusioned after your preferred political party got in power? Maybe they didn’t quite deliver on what they said they would do?
Against this backdrop of disappointment, it’s a beautiful thing to know that Jesus is king. In his earthly ministry, Jesus showed us what his kingdom looks like: the sick are made well, the dead are raised, the downtrodden are lifted up, the lost are found. Captive to sin and death, our world is broken. We desperately need King Jesus. The gospel tells us that Jesus was crucified for our sins, raised to life, and that he now reigns as king and will return in glory. What better news could there possibly be?
Spiritual Blessings in Ephesians 1
Because Jesus is king, there are some astounding benefits that come to those who receive him as king. When Paul wrote the book of Ephesians (written during the reign of Emperor Nero), he decided to list many of these benefits that are available to all who place their faith in Jesus. He calls them “spiritual blessings” that we have in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Here are twelve:
- 1:4 – He chose us.
- 1:5 – He adopted us.
- 1:6 – He gave us free grace.
- 1:7 – He redeemed us (bought us back).
- 1:7 – He forgave us.
- 1:8 – He lavished his grace on us.
- 1:9 – He taught us his will.
- 1:13 – He gave us salvation.
- 1:13 – He sealed us as his.
- 1:14 – He gave us his Spirit.
- 1:14 – He promises us an inheritance.
- 1:14 – He made us his possession.
Do you really know these truths about yourself? These are your reality as followers of King Jesus. These form your core identity. Pause and soak in these truths!
“These are your reality as followers of King Jesus. These form your core identity.”
3 attitudes that make us forget
Since all of that is true (we are chosen, adopted, etc.), these truths should fuel our joy for decades. Yet, sometimes we still get discouraged as Christians. How is that possible?
Here are 3 attitudes that can beat us up even as Christians:
- I don’t have any hope
- I don’t have any worth
- I don’t have any power
Which one of those attitudes is beating you up?
I don’t have any hope. I’m stuck in some unfortunate circumstances and can’t move past some destructive habits. I’ve been praying, but I don’t think God’s been answering.
I don’t have any worth. I don’t feel like I really belong anywhere. Not sure I have anything to contribute. I’m hobbled by my past and don’t have much hope that I’ll amount to much in the future.
I don’t have any power. I’ve got plenty of problems, but there’s nothing I can do to fix them. There are plenty of problems out there in the world, but I don’t see myself having the ability to do much about it.
“Which one of those attitudes is beating you up?”
We need to pray
We easily forget God’s blessings and who we are in him. When we forget these things, that’s when we drift into sin and unbelief. Our tendency to forget and drift is why Paul spent so much time praying for his spiritual children and grandchildren:
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Ephesians 1:15-17, NIV)
In particular, Paul prays that their eyes be opened in three ways which help us remember the benefits of being a part of Jesus’ kingdom.
Open our eyes to hope
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.” (Ephesians 1:18a, NIV)
Hope in and of itself isn’t helpful. Lots of things (money, pleasures, high status) can offer us ultimate hope, but don’t deliver. The hope Jesus offers us is hope for today, for tomorrow, and for eternity. This is because the hope to which he has called us is based on reality: historical events like the cross and resurrection which rocked the timeline and altered the landscape of eternity.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, NIV)
“The hope to which he has called us is based on reality: historical events like the cross and resurrection which rocked the timeline and altered the landscape of eternity.”
Open our eyes to worth
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” (Ephesians 1:18, NIV)
Whose inheritance are we talking about? The verse says “his glorious inheritance.” And it’s not his inheritance given “to his holy people.” It’s his inheritance “in his holy people.” Who gets the inherence? God does. He gets us. “Oh, I don’t have any worth. I’m not worth anything.” What?! Open your eyes to the riches of his glorious inheritance in us. If God had a refrigerator, he would have our pictures on it. We bring him joy. We make him smile. We are his inheritance. Oh the worth that a child of God has!
Open our eyes to power
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:18-23, NIV)
It’s as if Paul uses every word he can think of to describe this amazing power. “Incomparably great power” is basically using the word hyper plus mega plus the word from which we get the word dynamite. It’s God hyper-mega-dynamite power toward us who believe. This is like Napoleon Dynamite when he sees the suit he wants to wear to the dance. Pedro points the suit out to him, and Napoleon says, “Yeah, it looks pretty sweet. It looks awesome. That suit, it’s…it’s…incredible.”
“It’s as if Paul uses every word he can think of to describe this amazing power.”
This is the power that spoke the universe into existence, breathed life into humans, spoke the fire of inspiration through his prophets, parted the sea, rained bread, shut lions’ mouths, healed the sick, raised the dead. This hyper-mega-dynamite power is infused in us who believe.
- Romans 8:31 (NIV) – “…If God is for us, who can be against us?”
- 1 John 4:4 (NIV) – “…The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
If his power can do all those things, then he can conquer your sin. He can soften your heart. He can repair that relationship. He can empower you to break that habit. He can change your legacy.
- You do have hope.
- You do have worth.
- You do have power.
Open your eyes.
Now What?
Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. Then, in 1952, Florence started her attempt to be the first to swim roughly 22 miles from Catalina Island to the mainland of California. With freezing water and terrible fog, Florence told her mom, sailing alongside in a boat, “I can’t do it.” The mom said, “You’re about there; you can do it.” Florence kept swimming but couldn’t see anything through the fog. She quit and got into the boat…at 21 ½ miles. She told reporters that all she could see was the fog. “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.” Two months later, she tried again. Same fog. But this time, she kept something in mind: a mental picture of the shore. And she made it.
Let these truths—these benefits of the gospel—cut through the fog and remind you of who you are and where you are going. Ask God to open your eyes to the hope of his calling, his glorious inheritance in us, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
