1 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,720 You're very welcome to today's Triumph Church podcast. 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,440 We pray that you enjoy the message. 3 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,320 I'm going to begin this morning. I'm going to be starting a new 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,960 series on the book of Ephesians. It's probably my my most 5 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,040 favorite book in the entire Bible. 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:29,480 It's a absolutely fantastic book and there's so many amazing 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,800 truths that are are packed into the book of Ephesians. 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,400 It's, it's really hard to digest all of that like in in the 1st 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:43,040 chapter alone, Like there's so many things that are in there. 10 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:48,080 Like it's amazing you what the apostle Paul is revealing to us 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,080 in the book of Ephesians. And the overall themes in 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,640 Ephesians are this as follows. In chapter 1, Paul really 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,720 addresses how God through Jesus blesses us. 14 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:04,080 In chapter 2, he shows us how Jesus saves us and in chapter 3, 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,080 how Jesus transforms us. And in chapters 4-5 and six, he 16 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,400 really lines out how the Christian should live within 17 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,280 those, those 3 chapters, how Jesus bless us, how Jesus saves 18 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,960 us and how Jesus transforms us. And it's a, it's a wonderful, 19 00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:22,360 wonderful book. So I really encourage you just 20 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,360 to read that entire chapter. Don't read it just to read it 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,840 all right. When we when we read Scripture 22 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,080 like we should, we should read and be asking the Lord for 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,800 understanding of his word to give us personal revelation. 24 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,840 What are you trying to say Lord in in Ephesians here. 25 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,360 What are you trying to to say to me? 26 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,520 But Ephesians is so fantastic in chapter 1 here. 27 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,080 It opens kind of like a a doorway into heaven's 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:57,520 perspective of the believer. Paul is opening a door to us 29 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,600 here in the in the 1st chapter of Ephesians and really all of 30 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,360 Ephesians on, on God's perspective on you and I. 31 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,280 So we're going to be concentrating this morning 32 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,800 primarily in Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 3 through 6. 33 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,400 We'll read these and then we'll be referring back to these again 34 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,480 as we go through this Ephesians chapter 1, starting in verse 3, 35 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,240 it says all praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 36 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,440 who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the 37 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,960 heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 38 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,880 Verse 4. Even before He made the world, 39 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:40,040 God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without 40 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,840 fault in His eyes. In verse 5, God decided in 41 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,920 advance to adopt us into His own family to bring us to Himself 42 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,640 through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and 43 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,240 it gave Him great pleasure. Verse 6. 44 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,000 So we praise God for the glorious grace that He has 45 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,920 poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 46 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:07,120 Man, isn't that so rich? Like there's so much there, but 47 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,320 it's really hard to like break that down and and digest 48 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,720 everything that the apostle Paul is trying to tell us in just 49 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,600 these, these short few verses. And this is just the beginning 50 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,480 of the chapter. There's there's a lot more 51 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:24,200 there, but here the apostle Paul is stacking truth upon truth, 52 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:29,760 blessing upon blessing, until it becomes unmistakably clear that 53 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:36,000 our salvation is not accidental, it's not temporary, and it's not 54 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,040 fragile. God was very intentional and 55 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:45,600 very purposeful, putting His plan into motion long before any 56 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,240 of us or any other human on this planet ever even took a breath, 57 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,920 before this world ever even existed. 58 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,080 This was God's plan. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 59 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,000 through 6. That is God's plan. 60 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,200 Before this world was ever even created, before this universe 61 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,160 existed, before this Galaxy existed, before any of those 62 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:15,560 other stars and things existed, God had a plan, A plan for you. 63 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:20,399 Isn't that cool? He you were on His mind a long, 64 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:25,560 long time ago. Ephesians chapter 1 is about our 65 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,280 identity, and our identity is important. 66 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,840 There's a reason why the devil works so hard and works overtime 67 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:39,600 to try to distort identity. It tells us who we are, what we 68 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,920 have, and where we stand with God. 69 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,120 It's important for us to know those things. 70 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,800 It's important for us to know who we are in Christ, what we 71 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:56,120 have through Christ, and where we stand with God. 72 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,200 You need to have that settled in your heart because a Christian 73 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,320 will always feel unstable if they don't know these things. 74 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,880 This chapter needs to be believed, not just read. 75 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,840 We need to have faith in what God is trying to reveal to us 76 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:18,200 here, because when we do, it produces faith in our hearts, it 77 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:23,440 produces confidence in our Lord, it produces gratitude, it 78 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,480 produces perseverance when we're encountering things in this 79 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,440 world that are contrary to God's will in our lives, and it'll 80 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,320 also produce worship in our heart for God. 81 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,120 Paul's not offering here something shallow. 82 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:42,600 All right. These are very deep truths that 83 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:47,800 get to the heart of God and what He wants for us and desires for 84 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,880 us. It's bedrock truth that anchors 85 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,840 the church in identity, who we are in Christ. 86 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,040 You need to know that. You need to know who you are. 87 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,480 Who are you? Who are you in Christ? 88 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,040 Our identity, when it's realized and when it becomes settled in 89 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,360 our hearts. This revelation causes us to see 90 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:19,440 everything differently, right? Our perspective begins to shift. 91 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,320 We begin to see things as as God sees. 92 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,080 We begin to see ourselves how God sees us, not as this world 93 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:29,680 would want us to look at ourselves. 94 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,880 This world is constantly beating us down, trying to discourage 95 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,000 us, right? The world is constantly telling 96 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,640 us who you should be, right? But that's contrary to God's 97 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,680 Word. Who you are is not who this 98 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:48,960 world tells you, but who God's Word tells you. 99 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:53,120 When you're anchored in that, when your heart is anchored in 100 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,800 the truth of God's Word, everything in your life is 101 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,920 different. It's like you open that door and 102 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,480 a whole new world is revealed to to you. 103 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,000 Before that, you're walking around. 104 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:09,280 I can hardly see anything. But when you realize what Christ 105 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:14,440 did for you, who you are through him, it will completely change 106 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,600 your life. So this morning we're going to 107 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,080 go through now these three points from Ephesians 1, verses 108 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,720 3 through 6. And these points are the first 109 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:28,040 one we've been blessed. The second is we've been chosen, 110 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,720 and the third is we've been adopted. 111 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,000 So let's look at the first part of this. 112 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,240 He blessed us all right And we'll read again Ephesians 113 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:42,000 chapter 1 and verse 3 where it says all praise to God the 114 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,400 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every 115 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,400 spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are 116 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,440 united with Christ. Now really when you when you 117 00:07:54,440 --> 00:08:00,080 first read this Scripture, it may not rock your world, but if 118 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,280 you understand what what Paul is declaring here, by the 119 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,960 inspiration and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, 120 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,080 you'd praise God the same as the apostle Paul did at the 121 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,760 beginning of this verse where he said all praise to God. 122 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,640 Paul declares that believers have already been blessed, like 123 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,800 you've already been blessed. It's not something that you need 124 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,320 to strive for, that you need to beg God for, that you need to 125 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:33,840 plead God for Scripture says that you have already been 126 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,039 blessed. Notice his word in there. 127 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:41,880 It says that he has blessed us like it's something that Christ 128 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,640 already accomplished. And this is something that's 129 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,240 important for us to understand is, is what Christ accomplished 130 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,160 on the cross. All right? 131 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,160 Everything that Christ is going to do for us, everything that 132 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,200 he's going to do for the body of Christ was done upon the cross 133 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,440 through Christ's death, his burial and resurrection. 134 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,400 Well, how long ago was that? That was a pretty long time ago, 135 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,600 right? So it's already been done. 136 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:09,600 Everything, everything that God has planned for you has already 137 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,920 been paid for, has already been purchased. 138 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,800 Like it's already there. He has blessed us. 139 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,280 Something that I want you to understand too is that these 140 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,720 blessings aren't anchored in this world, right? 141 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:24,680 This world is pretty unstable, isn't it? 142 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,520 There's constantly just madding things. 143 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:30,320 If you just watch nothing but the news, you would probably go 144 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,360 insane. And it just keeps getting worse 145 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,800 and worse, doesn't it? So if you focus on on those 146 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,840 things, then yeah, there's going to be, it's like ever shifting 147 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:43,760 sand. But these blessings of God 148 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,600 aren't anchored in anything of this world. 149 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,320 They're anchored in Christ, right? 150 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,560 Everything in this world has been corrupted by sin. 151 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,320 So God's blessings are anchored in heaven. 152 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,520 They're anchored in him through Christ. 153 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,880 They're spiritual, meaning caused and enforced outside of 154 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,360 this natural world. And notice here Paul is also 155 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:12,040 stating that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. 156 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:15,160 When you read things like this, like it's important really just 157 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,120 to slow things down a little bit and not just read to read. 158 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,200 AI read 10 chapters today, right? 159 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,720 How how much you read isn't important. 160 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,160 Understanding what it is and getting revelation of what 161 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,000 you're reading, that's what's important. 162 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,760 So sometimes just slow things down a bit and really look at 163 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,720 the words that are being used because they mean a lot. 164 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:42,080 God is trying to to state something to us like every 165 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,160 spiritual blessing. That means that he hasn't held 166 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,800 back. Like every means what? 167 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:51,960 What's excluded there? What's excluded from everything, 168 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,480 right? If I give you everything that I 169 00:10:55,480 --> 00:11:00,080 have, what am I leaving out? A car? 170 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,320 I don't want to give you my telly. 171 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,200 Oh no, Everything is everything, right? 172 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,760 God is withholding nothing from you. 173 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,960 He's your heavenly Father. God has lavished upon us His 174 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:21,240 blessings, and these are intended for us to partake in 175 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:24,120 this earthly life. You're not going to need healing 176 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,240 in heaven, are you? Right? 177 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,960 Like, are you going to use your euro in heaven? 178 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:37,760 It's worthless there, right? So God intends for us all these 179 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:43,080 blessings to be used here upon this earth in this life. 180 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,600 I want to look at a few scriptures here just to just to 181 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:47,120 make the point, some points here. 182 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,600 The first is in Philippians 419. We use this scripture all the 183 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,440 time because it's really important and it says that he 184 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,640 will provide for for all your need, right? 185 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:02,760 If you have a need, any need, the Lord wants to provide for 186 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,320 it. This is really all-encompassing. 187 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:10,840 It says, and my God shall supply all your need according to his 188 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:14,000 riches and glory by Christ Jesus. 189 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,240 All your need. Well, what can that need be? 190 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Listen it, it may be something small, that may be something 191 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:20,880 big. It may be something, something 192 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:25,600 physical that may be something mental, like whatever it is, you 193 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,640 have a need, right? Well, the Lord wants to provide 194 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,240 for you that need. This is a blessing, something 195 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,400 that Christ purchased upon the cross for us to be able to 196 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:39,120 partake of. He's also purchased your health 197 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,760 with His blood. So something that was very 198 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,360 serious that Christ did for us, He wants us to be healthy and 199 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,240 live a whole and productive life. 200 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,680 Look at Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 5. 201 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,520 Isaiah 53 verse 5 it says, but he was pierced for our 202 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:02,240 rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be 203 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,800 whole. He was whipped so we could be 204 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,920 what healed. God wants you healed, doesn't 205 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:11,480 He? Look at one Peter chapter 2 and 206 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:14,840 verse 24. The apostle Peter references the 207 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,080 scripture Isaiah 53 five. The apostle Peter says he 208 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,160 personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we 209 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,360 can be dead to sin and live for what is right by His wounds. 210 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:31,040 You are healed. Isn't that a blessing? 211 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,840 God wants you to be able to live a whole and healed and healthy 212 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,080 life. Whether it's something really 213 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,320 small like a common cold, right, or whether it's something really 214 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:47,800 massive like some life threatening disease or injury or 215 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:49,240 something. God wants you. 216 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,680 His purpose, His will. Jesus came to give you life and 217 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,680 life more abundantly. He wants you to live healed, 218 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:02,960 healthy and whole. Jesus paid for that right. 219 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,600 Jesus paid for that. You know, if we go out to eat, I 220 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:11,360 invite you out to get a bite. Let's go get some dinner. 221 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:13,600 Would you be interested in coming with me? 222 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:15,520 Right. Let's go someplace really 223 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,640 expensive. Yeah. 224 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,640 And I said I'm going to pay. I don't worry. 225 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,560 It's on me. You know, order what you want. 226 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,440 You want to the most expensive steak on the menu, go ahead and 227 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,000 get that for yourself. And if I said that I paid for 228 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,320 that, what are you going to expect? 229 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,360 That I'm going to pay for your meal, aren't you? 230 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,200 That I'm not going to leave you the bill, Right? 231 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,320 Oh, thanks a lot. You invite me out to dinner, 232 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,720 tell me to order the expensive thing, and then then you leave 233 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,600 and leave me with it, with the bill. 234 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:54,920 I wouldn't be very kind, would it be what Jesus paid for your 235 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,040 healing, for you to be healthy in whole. 236 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:03,800 He paid for that. Now I could go up to, to the, 237 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,040 the front counter at the restaurant and I could say, hey, 238 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,200 listen, I'm, I'm, I know that he offered. 239 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,600 I know Pastor Brad offered, you know, to pay for my meal, but 240 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,160 I'm going to, I'm going to pay for that instead. 241 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:16,240 You could do that. We don't have to, you don't have 242 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,960 to receive what I, what I said I've paid for. 243 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,480 You could pay for it again if you want to, right? 244 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,920 Jesus paid for our healing. You don't have to do anything 245 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:33,960 except receive that, receive that gift, receive that 246 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,160 blessing. And then there's other promises 247 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:41,520 like Proverbs chapter 3, verses 9 and 10. 248 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,240 Let's put that up where it says honour the Lord with your wealth 249 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,520 and with the best part of everything that you produce. 250 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,400 Then he will fill your barns with grain and your vats will 251 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:00,120 overflow with good wine. It's another promise from the 252 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,800 Lord, right? When you honor the Lord with 253 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,520 what you have, what does he say? What does, what does God's 254 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,480 promise say? He said that he will fill your 255 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,560 barns. How many of you have a barn? 256 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,120 Is anyone here? Am I the only one in here in 257 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,560 this room that has a barn? All right, well, what do you 258 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:28,400 have to store all those things? Bank of Ireland AIB revolute 259 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,440 like something, right? Like that's your barn. 260 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:37,160 So when you honor the Lord with your wealth, with what you have, 261 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,760 he says that he will fill that up. 262 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:44,560 Listen, I have some, I have some good space If, if your account 263 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,960 is too full, all right, just pour some over in, in mine. 264 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,120 Yeah. And once that's full, I have 265 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,720 that big barn and we hold some events at that'll fill that'll 266 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,360 fill lots. I'm emphasizing here 2 main 267 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,480 things are our health and our our, our finances, because these 268 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:05,160 are things that all of us deal with all the time. 269 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:06,480 We work a job. Why? 270 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,359 Because we need finances. We have to pay our electric, 271 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,720 electric bill somehow pay our gas bill somehow fill up our 272 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,560 vehicles with diesel or petrol somehow, right? 273 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,599 It takes money. I don't go to the petrol station 274 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,760 and, and fill up my car and say thanks and then drive on my way. 275 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,280 They expect me to pay. So these are things that we deal 276 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:28,880 with all the time, our, our health. 277 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,360 How many of you woke up this morning and had an ache or pain 278 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:35,760 in your, in your body, right. Like we deal with our bodies all 279 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,920 the time. We deal with our finances all 280 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,800 the time, right? So it's important for us. 281 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,400 These are just a couple examples of the Lord's blessings that we 282 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,920 see what God's will is. What are some things that the 283 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,320 Lord, those spiritual blessings that he's blessed us with? 284 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:52,920 Well, those are some of those things. 285 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,720 But these blessings aren't anchored in this unstable world. 286 00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,360 They're not anchored in your job. 287 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,520 They're not anchored in anyone else. 288 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:07,360 Those things are anchored in Christ through God. 289 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,640 He's the one that provides these things for you. 290 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,400 So you can put your faith in your employer. 291 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,720 You can, you can put, you know, faith in in other people, but 292 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:19,160 but really they're not who provides for you. 293 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,320 Christ is. And those things aren't 294 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:23,480 anchored. Those blessings aren't anchored 295 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:27,440 in those things. If you lose a job, you get told 296 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,520 you're redundant. We're going to be moving on, 297 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,800 right? Like that could rock some 298 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:38,240 people's world, but not if you're anchored in your 299 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:42,400 provider, God. Well, that's OK. 300 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:44,600 The Lord's going to provide some other way. 301 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,840 He knows what I need. Philippians 419 says a My God 302 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,280 shall supply all my need, not my employer. 303 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:59,440 My God shall supply all my need, every spiritual blessing. 304 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:03,240 There's no shortage in Christ, is there? 305 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,360 There's nothing missing. There's nothing withheld. 306 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:12,080 The believer's problem is never lack it's awareness. 307 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,520 It's faith and obedience to God's will. 308 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,440 The apostle Paul tells us where these blessings are found in 309 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,200 Christ. Outside of Christ, people chase 310 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,320 blessings, don't they? They're chasing money. 311 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:33,120 But in Christ, believers live from blessing. 312 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:38,680 We live from what Christ has provided for us in Colossians 313 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:41,360 chapter 3 and verse one. I love what the apostle Paul 314 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:43,680 says here. He says since you have been 315 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:47,880 raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the 316 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,320 realities, the realities of heaven. 317 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,480 What God has done for us through Christ is more real than 318 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:00,480 anything in this world, like we're living in this body. 319 00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:04,120 And we're living in in this world, but this is just for a 320 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,320 short time, right? Our life, the Bible says, is but 321 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,040 like a vapor, it's here and then it's then it's gone. 322 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,400 You know, my my wife's grandmother, Pastor Amy, you 323 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,120 know, she's 90, you know, her life is about twin. 324 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:20,640 She's going to be stepping in into eternity. 90's a a long 325 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,920 time. Like naturally it feels a long 326 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:24,840 time. She actually, you know, has said 327 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,800 she'd never thought she'd live this long. 328 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,560 She's as surprised as as anyone and she's lived a a really good 329 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,480 life. And 90s seems like a long time 330 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,080 to us. But in eternity, like 90s, just 331 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:39,360 like a a blip, like it's no time at all. 332 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:45,720 The reality is this, this is eternal. 333 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,480 This will never pass away, Not one part of it. 334 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,000 People have tried to get rid of this. 335 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,040 They tried to through a lot of different means, whether it's 336 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:02,240 whether just burning Bibles, God's word, or or banning God's 337 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,880 word, or trying through, through our understanding and in reason, 338 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,120 you know, reason away God's word, but no one's ever 339 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:12,840 successful with that. No one's smarter than God. 340 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,880 This is an absolutely amazing book. 341 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,560 There's no other book like this. There really isn't. 342 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:21,280 There's other religious books, right? 343 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:25,600 But they don't even hold a candle to the to the Bible. 344 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,960 Like this book is absolutely amazing how God wrote this, how 345 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:33,280 God designed it, and how there's prophecies all through the Old 346 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,560 Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. 347 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,280 And all these things in the New Testament point back to all 348 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:40,640 these prophecies and events in the Old Testament. 349 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,760 Like no person could possibly do that. 350 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,800 It's mathematically impossible. This is a amazing, amazing book 351 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,120 and this is what's real. This is the the reality. 352 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,840 Everything else in our life can be changed. 353 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,760 There's no situation in your life that's permanent. 354 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,040 You can make it permanent if you want to, right? 355 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,000 But God super can always change our natural. 356 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:08,920 It's supernatural. He created this world. 357 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,160 Well, He can change and shift and and do whatever He needs to 358 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:16,520 do to make things line up in your life with His Word, if 359 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,600 you'll trust him, if you'll have faith in him, if you'll walk in 360 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:24,760 light of His Word. The second part of our identity 361 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,160 is in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse four. 362 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:32,960 That He chose us says Ephesians 14. 363 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:38,200 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in 364 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:43,800 Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 365 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,480 Isn't that amazing? Do you know how God sees you? 366 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,680 Sometimes we look at ourselves and we see all these flaws, 367 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,280 don't we? We see all all these things that 368 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,720 we've done in the in the past, all these mistakes that we've 369 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:01,480 done. You know, we look at ourselves 370 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,080 when we're brushing our hair in the mirror and we're like man. 371 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:13,960 But you know how God looks at you, says right here, without 372 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:22,400 fault, perfect. You may make a mistake. 373 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,840 When you leave church today, you drove, you're pulling out, 374 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,520 someone honks at you and you let some words go that you probably 375 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,440 shouldn't have. You make a mistake, but you 376 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:38,160 repent. Sorry, Lord, God sees you as 377 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,480 faultless. Faultless. 378 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,800 No fault. Perfect. 379 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:51,720 Because what Jesus did on the cross covers everything in your 380 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,200 life. Every mistake, every fault, 381 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,280 every sin. What Jesus did is 382 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,880 all-encompassing. There's nothing that you can do 383 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,840 in your life that's going to be greater than the sacrifice that 384 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,680 Jesus made for you. There's no mistake that you can 385 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,760 make. There's no sin that's bigger 386 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,040 than Christ. He paid for everything. 387 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:15,240 Isn't that good news man? This is a blessing so much in 388 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:20,840 here, but this verse really dismantles performance based 389 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,120 faith. It's not upon what you can do. 390 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:28,200 This is a free gift that God did for us because he loves us. 391 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,840 God loved us and chose us in Christ. 392 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,440 Like let that reality sink in a little bit. 393 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:44,280 God loves you and because he loves you, he chose you in 394 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:49,440 Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 395 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:51,200 Don't let the devil speak to your mind. 396 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,480 All this condemnation, all right? 397 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:58,200 Don't listen to this. Listen to your heart, listen to 398 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,880 your spirit. And I say this all the all the 399 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,200 time because I think it's really important for us to know and 400 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,560 understand is we're a spirit, all right? 401 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,320 We worship the Lord in spirit, in truth, when God speaks to us, 402 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,160 he speaks to our spirit. He speaks to our our heart, 403 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,280 right? Who speaks to your mind? 404 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:23,040 The devil will speak to your mind and you'll speak to your 405 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:27,760 mind as well. But you don't listen to what's 406 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:32,200 in here, All right? We're renewing this every day. 407 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,640 Aren't we? Making this line up with the 408 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:39,960 word of God, because we've been trained, we've been conditioned 409 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:45,960 our whole lives to just accept this fallen world, be OK with 410 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,200 everything that this world tells us that we should have, that we 411 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:53,760 should be right. So we're changing this actually 412 00:25:53,760 --> 00:26:00,160 to begin to agree with God from his perspective, how He sees us. 413 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:07,320 That's the reality. He loved us and chose us to be 414 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:12,360 holy and without fault. In His eyes, this means that 415 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,800 God's commitment to you isn't based upon your successes. 416 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,040 It's not based upon your weaknesses. 417 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:22,520 He did not choose you because He predicted that you were going to 418 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,800 be obedient to Him or His Word. He didn't choose you because of 419 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:31,680 any success or failure you may have, but He chose you simply 420 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,640 because He loves you. He's committed to you. 421 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:42,320 That's good news, isn't it? A commitment And really the 422 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,600 Lord's commitment is, is so much bigger than than like just a, 423 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:48,720 you know, sometimes we make a handshake, handshake deal in 424 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:53,000 this life or even some kind of agreement, but none of those 425 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,960 things are, are really binding. What what God did is he actually 426 00:26:55,960 --> 00:27:00,880 made a covenant, and a covenant is something that can't be 427 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,640 undone. If you break a covenant, you 428 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,840 have to die. God's love for you is so 429 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,720 amazing, so vast that he actually sent Jesus to die for 430 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:17,720 you. He chose you. 431 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:23,000 The third part of this is we've been adopted and this is so 432 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,440 cool. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 433 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:30,400 5, it says that God decided in advance to adopt us in His own 434 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,520 family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. 435 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:37,600 And this is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great 436 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,200 pleasure. Adoption is intentional, right? 437 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,800 I don't think anyone has ever been adopted by accident. 438 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,880 Do you know of anyone who's ever been adopted by accident? 439 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:53,880 It's purposeful, right? God did not rescue you and then 440 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:59,080 reluctantly tolerate you. He brought you into his family 441 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:05,480 because you bring him great joy. Salvation is not God's backup 442 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,680 plan. It's His first plan. 443 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:11,480 It's his delight and the new King James Version. 444 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,200 It it says that God predestined us to adoption. 445 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,280 This statement really has been twisted and used out of context 446 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,080 to mean something. Really it was never attempted to 447 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,240 to mean here. How many of you have ever heard 448 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,760 in in religious circles that the term predestination you ever 449 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,840 heard of that all right, this is a term meaning that God selected 450 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,880 some and not others. But this really isn't a 451 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,760 scriptural concept and we'll look at why all right in Romans 452 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,960 chapter 2 and verse 11 put that up on the screen there it says 453 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:49,680 for God does not show favoritism. 454 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:54,160 All right, in order to select someone and not select someone 455 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,880 else, you would be showing favoritism, wouldn't you? 456 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:03,360 Well, God has no favorites. We like to think that we're his 457 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,560 favorite, right? But he loves each of us equally. 458 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:14,160 Those saved and those unsaved. Listen, think of the most awful 459 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,640 person that you can think of. You know a lot of a lot of times 460 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,840 the the first name that comes to the mind might be someone like 461 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:26,040 Hitler, right? Well, God loved Hitler as evil 462 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:32,760 and awful of a person as he was as much as you, He loves all of 463 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,800 us. He shows no favorites, no 464 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:40,040 favoritism. Christ came to die for all, for 465 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,760 everyone. In two Peter chapter 3 and verse 466 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:48,760 9, it says the Lord isn't really being slow about His promise as 467 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,000 some people think. No, He is being patient for your 468 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,520 sake. You know, some of us take a 469 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:57,320 little longer to cop on right to God's love and choose to follow 470 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,840 him. No, He's being patient for your 471 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,760 sake. He does not want anyone to be 472 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:08,520 destroyed, but He wants everyone to repent. 473 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,720 Anyone, everyone. These words have a lot of 474 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,280 meaning there. The reason by I'm bringing this 475 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:19,040 up because a lot of people when when they when they talk about 476 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:24,960 this predestination, it can make people sometimes feel like, 477 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,200 well, the devil will speak things to your ear. 478 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:28,760 We'll see. You weren't someone that God 479 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:30,960 loves. You weren't someone that that 480 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,200 God chose. That's why your life is like 481 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:35,560 this. You need, you just need to 482 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:42,440 accept that God has denied you. But God shows no favoritism. 483 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:48,920 He's not willing that any would perish, but that all would come 484 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,680 to repentance. This is important for us to know 485 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:57,120 and understand what God predetermined is. 486 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:00,720 John chapter 3 and verse 15 through 17. 487 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:06,160 Let's read that Jesus said talking to Nicodemus so that 488 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,720 everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 489 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,400 For this is how God loved the world, that he gave his only his 490 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:19,760 one and only son so that everyone who believes in him 491 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,320 will not perish but have eternal life. 492 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:28,280 Verse 17 says God sent his son into the world not to judge the 493 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,680 world but to save the world. That's everyone like that 494 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:37,160 encompasses everyone. God is not willing that any 495 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,120 would perish. He loves us all the same. 496 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,680 Our adoption into God's family speaks of belonging. 497 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:49,320 It speaks of access, inheritance, insecurity. 498 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:54,080 Sons and daughters do not earn access, they live from it. 499 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:59,120 In Romans chapter 8 and verse 15 says this. 500 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,800 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful. 501 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:07,800 Slaves goes on to say that you received God's spirit when He 502 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:13,640 adopted you as his own children. Like, isn't that amazing? 503 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:19,760 You are a child of God. You belong in God's family. 504 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,480 Slaves obey to avoid punishment, don't they? 505 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:28,760 But sons obey from relationship. When believers understand 506 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:33,240 adoption, fear loses its grip and intimacy grows. 507 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:37,240 It makes it really easy for us to push forward in Christ. 508 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,160 When you know that God loves you, when he know that God cares 509 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,480 for and he his will for you is always good and pleasing and 510 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,080 perfect, it's easy to draw close to him, isn't it? 511 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,440 But when you're fearful, when you don't know what God's will 512 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:53,640 is for your life, then, yeah, It's hard to be intimate with 513 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:57,560 someone when you don't know how they they feel, right? 514 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,640 But when you know how someone feels, and God puts it all right 515 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:07,000 out there for us, so it's so clear we know exactly where God 516 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,560 stands, it makes it easy to draw close to him. 517 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,760 You don't serve God to earn love. 518 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,560 You live for Him because his love has already claimed you. 519 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,760 He chose you because he loves you. 520 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:26,880 Amen. And this is the foundation of 521 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,480 the Christian life, that you have been blessed with every 522 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:34,520 spiritual blessing. You have been chosen before 523 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:38,960 creation, before anything that we know, see, or experience was 524 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:41,760 created. And you have been adopted into 525 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,000 God's own family. What does that mean? 526 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:49,040 That means that you have all the rights and all the privileges of 527 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,960 a child of the King. Isn't that amazing? 528 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:58,040 I love the book of Ephesians and this is going to be so good. 529 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:03,080 Thank you for listening to the Triumph Church podcast this 530 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:05,640 week. If it was a blessing to you, 531 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:10,560 share it with someone you know. For more information on Triumph 532 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:16,480 Church, you can visit us at www.triumphchurch.ie.