What Is A Blessing? (Ephesians 1:2)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:05.040 You can remain stanny if you're able. As we turn to the letter to 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:13.349 the EPHESIANS and the New Testament, one of Paul's letters going to be preaching 3 00:00:13.429 --> 00:00:19.030 on verse two, but I'll read this evening from one through fourteen. We're 4 00:00:19.070 --> 00:00:23.019 going to spend a lot of time in this passage. I would encourage you 5 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:29.980 to be pushing your brain to memorize even just bits and pieces if you can. 6 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:39.409 Let's hide God's word in our hearts. Paul, an apostle of Christ 7 00:00:39.450 --> 00:00:43.490 Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus 8 00:00:43.609 --> 00:00:48.649 and are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God, 9 00:00:48.770 --> 00:00:54.399 our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and father of 10 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:59.119 our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing 11 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:03.670 in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation 12 00:01:03.790 --> 00:01:10.549 of the world, that we should be wholly blameless before him. In love, 13 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:17.189 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the 14 00:01:17.269 --> 00:01:21.579 purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace with which he 15 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:27.019 has blessed us in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through his blood, 16 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:32.969 the forgiveness of our trestpasses according to the riches of His grace which he 17 00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:37.689 lavished upon us, and all wisdom and insight, making known to us the 18 00:01:37.769 --> 00:01:41.489 mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in 19 00:01:41.609 --> 00:01:48.159 Christ as a plan the fullness of time to unite all things in him, 20 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:53.799 things in heaven and things on earth. In Him, we have obtained an 21 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:59.319 inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things 22 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:01.989 according to the counsel of his will, so that we, who were the 23 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:06.069 first to hope in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory. 24 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:09.270 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the 25 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:15.150 Gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy 26 00:02:15.229 --> 00:02:20.900 Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, 27 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:25.979 to the praise of his glory. Amen, you may be seated. 28 00:02:31.889 --> 00:02:38.490 So I want to answer or just a very simple question tonight. What is 29 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:43.930 a blessing and, in particular, what happens? What are we doing in 30 00:02:44.129 --> 00:02:47.319 our worship services when, at the beginning and the ends of the service, 31 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.840 I or whoever happens to be leading us in worship, raises our hands and 32 00:02:54.319 --> 00:03:02.069 pronounces this blessing. In formal liturgical terms, if you would like to learn 33 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:07.110 those, the first one is sometimes called the salutation. The second one, 34 00:03:07.270 --> 00:03:10.550 or the last one, is sometimes called the Benediction, but in some ways 35 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:17.020 these words are interchangeable and they're all a benediction, their blessings. What are 36 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:23.340 those? Why do we do that? What's actually going on there? That's 37 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:29.009 sort of the question I want to answer tonight, and we're thinking about this 38 00:03:29.889 --> 00:03:34.969 in light of this passage that we have in effusions one verse two, kind 39 00:03:35.009 --> 00:03:39.129 of starting with the practical application and then sort of working backwards in a way. 40 00:03:40.370 --> 00:03:45.800 Efphesians one verse two says Grace To you and peace from God, our 41 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:51.800 father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You've heard me say this. I've used 42 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:58.629 this particular Benediction, salutation, God's greeting. I've used it in closings and 43 00:03:58.789 --> 00:04:03.229 there are other similar ones throughout the New Testament. What's going on here? 44 00:04:03.430 --> 00:04:09.669 Why do we why do we do this? One answer to this question is 45 00:04:09.750 --> 00:04:14.819 that we are following a new testament pattern. That should be somewhat obvious. 46 00:04:14.860 --> 00:04:19.420 That's from what I've said so far. We're following what we see particularly in 47 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:24.850 these letters. Not all of them do this, but many, many of 48 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:28.370 them do. Grace and peace to you. And even if you just right 49 00:04:28.449 --> 00:04:30.810 now flip over to some other letters, like the next one in Philippians, 50 00:04:31.209 --> 00:04:35.290 grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 51 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:40.360 or if you go to Colossians, grace to you and peace from God our 52 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:46.360 father, the variation reminds us that something it's not something magical that's happening here. 53 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:51.480 There's not some strict form of words that has to be followed in order 54 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:58.589 for a blessing to be had. Something else is going on. One thing 55 00:04:58.709 --> 00:05:03.990 that's going on is that the new testament writers are modifying a common greeting that 56 00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:10.500 would have been used at that time. If you turn over to acts Chapter 57 00:05:10.699 --> 00:05:15.620 Fifteen, you'll see this greeting in acts Chapter Fifteen, verse twenty three. 58 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:23.370 You remember that after the Council of the Apostles in the elders met, they 59 00:05:23.490 --> 00:05:27.050 made a decision and then they sent a letter out to the churches. And 60 00:05:27.290 --> 00:05:30.850 here's how it began. The brothers, both the apostles and the elders to 61 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:35.560 the brothers who are in who are of the gentiles in Antioch and Syria and 62 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:43.040 Cilicia. Greetings that were greetings. That's a very common way in which the 63 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:47.199 letters of this era began. Greetings. You see it also in acts, 64 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:56.589 Chapter Twenty three, Acts Twenty three, verse twenty six, Claudius Lysius to 65 00:05:56.750 --> 00:06:03.500 His Excellency the Governor Felix, greetings right to you from me. Greetings. 66 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:06.500 If you want to look at one more, we won't do this now, 67 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:12.300 but you also see it in Jameson one. So there's nothing wrong with this. 68 00:06:13.100 --> 00:06:18.689 We see this council using it, with James Uses it. Outsiders outside 69 00:06:18.689 --> 00:06:21.850 of the church use it. There's nothing wrong with saying greetings or, as 70 00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:29.290 we might today, hello or hi, in our emails. But in some 71 00:06:29.490 --> 00:06:31.290 of our letters, and many of the letters, the apostle, Paul in 72 00:06:31.410 --> 00:06:38.720 particular, changes it slightly and he says and he does something else. He 73 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:43.399 takes this word greetings, and it's sounds similar in Greek too, and he 74 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:47.310 takes this word and he changes it to the word grace, grace to you, 75 00:06:47.589 --> 00:06:51.350 and then he adds and peace from God, our father and the Lord 76 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:59.189 Jesus Christ, or various very variations on that. Why is that happening? 77 00:06:59.269 --> 00:07:03.620 What's going on there? What he's doing is he's taking this common Greek way 78 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:10.339 of opening up a letter and he's modifying it in this Hebrew way, this 79 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:15.689 Hebrew way of blessing. Beyond just sort of needing some way to open his 80 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:25.410 letter or are more positively greeting people or even well wishing people, he pronounces 81 00:07:25.769 --> 00:07:30.000 blessings on the people that he's writing to. In other words, it's really 82 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:36.079 strong language. You would probably sense this as well if you were to write 83 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:42.279 an email, for example, and instead of writing hi mom, you wrote 84 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:45.670 grace and peace to you, mother, and the name of our Lord and 85 00:07:45.790 --> 00:07:48.790 Savior, Jesus Christ write. It has a lot more weight to it. 86 00:07:49.029 --> 00:07:55.750 Why? Because it's a weighty thing and it's borrowing a language that we see 87 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:01.300 a throughout the Old Testament, language of blessing. So we have to go 88 00:08:01.620 --> 00:08:05.579 not just from the New Testament pattern but yet another step back into the Old 89 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:13.009 Testament and see what's going on there. The first blessing that we have is 90 00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:18.209 in genesis chapter one. After God creates the heavens and the earth and blesses 91 00:08:18.329 --> 00:08:26.209 them and fills them. We read he read that he he calls it very 92 00:08:26.290 --> 00:08:28.839 good. And then in verse twenty two, it says in God blessed them, 93 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:33.320 saying be fruitful and multiply, fill the waters in the seas and let 94 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:39.679 birds multiply on the earth. So what's God doing here? He had made 95 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:45.350 the world very good and now he blessed it. He conveyed his favor for 96 00:08:45.470 --> 00:08:52.029 upon it, to the increase of a good thing. So he recognized a 97 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:54.820 state that they were already in, one of goodness. He had made the 98 00:08:54.899 --> 00:09:00.220 world good, but then, by blessing them, he pronounced this thing, 99 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:09.769 by he pronounced a blessing which would which would convey this further goodnessing. I'm 100 00:09:09.809 --> 00:09:16.490 not sure what the best way to put that is. And now remarkable thing 101 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:22.409 about God is that when he says things, they happen. You may remember 102 00:09:22.610 --> 00:09:26.480 the other part of Genesis one, and God said let there be light, 103 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:31.799 and there was light. Let the darkness and light be separated, and it 104 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:37.830 happened. God speaks these things and they happen. It's not the same for 105 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:43.350 us. Right we can give blessings and curses and they will be totally ineffectual 106 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:48.070 unless they are grounded in the will of God. Gets back to some of 107 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:54.100 our discussion about prayer this morning. But this is what God does. He 108 00:09:54.539 --> 00:10:01.340 blesses them, he blesses the creatures and things of this world. Another significant 109 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:05.379 and important passage is numbers, chapter six. I'll turn there and read to 110 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:13.529 you God's command here. So in numbers six, chapter or verses Twenty Two 111 00:10:13.570 --> 00:10:18.769 through twenty seven, we read this. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying 112 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:24.360 speak to Aaron and his sons, saying thus you shall bless the people of 113 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:28.639 Israel. All right, so you see what it? The the the set 114 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:31.399 up here there or the setting is going on. The Lord speaks to Moses. 115 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:35.070 He says go talk to Aaron, who is the high priest, and 116 00:10:35.190 --> 00:10:41.830 he says you and your priestly sons need to do something. I'm commanding you 117 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:46.309 to do something, and the thing I'm commanding you to do is blessed the 118 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:52.460 people of Israel. You shall say to them, the Lord bless you and 119 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:56.899 keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious 120 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:00.940 to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 121 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.210 So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel and I will 122 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:13.809 bless them. Not Remarkable. So God tells his priests to pronounce this blessing 123 00:11:13.929 --> 00:11:18.759 on his people and he will bless them in that just as he brought about 124 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:22.559 blessing, just as he brought about goodness and creation in the beginning of the 125 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:28.399 world, as he is creating this nation, this family, this people, 126 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:33.909 he is going to bless them. They shall put my name upon the people 127 00:11:35.029 --> 00:11:41.110 of Israel and I will bless them. These beautiful words. Perhaps you've heard 128 00:11:41.269 --> 00:11:48.500 them before. This is the this is the context for them. Now when, 129 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:54.620 if we go over to Leviticus, Leviticus chapter nine, we have another 130 00:11:54.740 --> 00:12:01.529 set of important verses and like to read you. We read that Aaron lifted 131 00:12:01.649 --> 00:12:07.690 up his hands toward the people and blessed them and he came down from offering 132 00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:11.289 the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings, and Moses and 133 00:12:11.450 --> 00:12:16.840 Aaron went into the tent of meeting and when they came out, they blessed 134 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:20.360 the people of God and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 135 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:30.110 So you see here them actually now fulfilling this command that God has given. 136 00:12:30.549 --> 00:12:35.149 And what happens? The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 137 00:12:35.509 --> 00:12:41.230 I will put my name on them, my presence will be with them, 138 00:12:41.309 --> 00:12:46.059 they will be my people, I will be their God. The Lord 139 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:50.139 bless you and keep you, or Yah Way Jehovah, bless you and keep 140 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:54.100 you. He uses his name, his name that he gives Moses, that 141 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:58.730 the burning Bush. When Moses says what's WHO Shall I say? Send Me. 142 00:13:03.129 --> 00:13:07.929 So this is what's going on in the Old Testament. Blessing, as 143 00:13:07.970 --> 00:13:15.960 it comes from the Lord, is a way in which he conveys goodness to 144 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:22.840 his people, conveys blessing to his people, even comes to them himself. 145 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:26.830 Because, after all, where is our greatest enjoyment? Where is our most 146 00:13:26.950 --> 00:13:35.710 wonderful peace, whereas our highest happiness? It's in God himself. I won't 147 00:13:35.710 --> 00:13:41.620 read it to you, but these patterns of raising the hands and blessing that 148 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:46.340 are also seen, for example, in Psalm sixty three four or psalm one 149 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:52.100 hundred thirty four, verse two. What I want to do now is jump 150 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:56.090 back into the New Testament and sort of start where we began, but this 151 00:13:56.289 --> 00:14:05.330 time in Luke, Luke Chapter Twenty Four, Luke Chapter Twenty four versus fifty 152 00:14:05.610 --> 00:14:13.080 through fifty one. This is after Jesus Death, after his resurrection and just 153 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:18.200 before his ascension we read in twenty four, verse fifty and fifty one. 154 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:24.669 Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany and, lifting up his hands, 155 00:14:24.710 --> 00:14:31.950 he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and 156 00:14:31.230 --> 00:14:37.669 was carried up into heaven, and they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with 157 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:46.659 great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God. An amazing thing. 158 00:14:46.379 --> 00:15:01.009 Excuse me. Jesus here, acting as this high priest, the mediator of 159 00:15:01.049 --> 00:15:05.649 a new and better covenant, which will read about in just a moment, 160 00:15:05.009 --> 00:15:11.440 he raises up his hands and he blesses his people as he parts from them. 161 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:16.120 When the Lord leaves us, he doesn't flip us a corner and say 162 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:22.590 good luck. He conveys his blessing on us. He promises to be with 163 00:15:22.590 --> 00:15:26.549 us. And you know what happens soon after this, according to the historian 164 00:15:26.590 --> 00:15:33.269 Luke, the Holy Spirit of God is poured out on the people. He 165 00:15:33.429 --> 00:15:37.620 blesses them and everything that he had been promising and reminding them and teaching them 166 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:50.409 he brings into fulfillment. One more passage now from Hebrews, Hebrews Chapter Seven 167 00:15:50.490 --> 00:15:58.809 and eight. You really should read both of these chapters. I'm going to 168 00:15:58.889 --> 00:16:03.639 read just a few verses. First, Hebrew seven, verse eleven and now, 169 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:10.399 if perfection had been attainable through the levitical priesthood, for under it the 170 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:15.000 people received the law, what further need would there have been for another piece 171 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:22.389 priest to rise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order 172 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:26.429 of Aaron? Now there's some complicated things going on here and, like I 173 00:16:26.470 --> 00:16:30.429 said, you really should read the chapter. But this the main point I 174 00:16:30.590 --> 00:16:33.100 want you to see here, which I think you can see here, is 175 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:37.460 what the author is saying. If we look at the way things are, 176 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:45.580 you're forced to ask this question, if perfection had been obtainable this way, 177 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:49.210 why did this thing happen? You'll have to go back and see what all 178 00:16:49.409 --> 00:16:52.610 this is referred to, but that's it what he's saying. He's saying, 179 00:16:52.809 --> 00:16:59.169 if perfection had been attainable through the priesthood, why did this other historical thing 180 00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:06.559 happen, namely this Melchizedek who blesss Aaron? Now he describes whom melkised it 181 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:11.359 was and that whole scenario. But his final argument is that Jesus comes to 182 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:17.630 us not in the order of Aaron, but in the order of Melchizedek. 183 00:17:18.750 --> 00:17:22.910 Verse Twenty Two. The conclusion of this is this makes Jesus the guaranteur of 184 00:17:22.990 --> 00:17:30.299 a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented 185 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:34.779 by death from continuing in office. It couldn't keep continuing in office, they 186 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:41.579 couldn't maintain the priesthood. Why? Because they kept dying, one after another, 187 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:48.650 generation after another generation they kept dying. But he holds his priesthood permanently 188 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:56.089 because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost. 189 00:17:57.049 --> 00:18:04.119 The perfection that was unattainable in the older priesthood is attainable in Christ Jesus, 190 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:08.759 who is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God 191 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:22.269 through him. So Jesus comes as this new high priest. The commands that 192 00:18:22.430 --> 00:18:29.099 God gave to Aaron and to his sons are now fulfilled in Jesus perfectly. 193 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:37.180 Finally, whatever blessing was conveyed to God's people in Israel is now comes into 194 00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:47.809 its final form, it's ultimate shape. He is the guarantor of a new 195 00:18:48.009 --> 00:18:52.730 and better covenant. Verse Twenty Six says, for it was indeed fitting that 196 00:18:52.849 --> 00:18:57.839 we should have such a high priest, wholly innocent, unstained, separated from 197 00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:03.160 sinners and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high 198 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:08.559 priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for 199 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:12.029 those of the people. That's what Moses and Aaron were doing. Remember, 200 00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:15.190 they went and they offered the sin offering and the burnt offering and all of 201 00:19:15.309 --> 00:19:21.269 that. Since he did this, that is, made a sacrifice, offered 202 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:27.460 a sacrifice once and for all, when he offered up himself. For the 203 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:33.779 law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the 204 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:38.009 oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been 205 00:19:38.089 --> 00:19:45.569 made perfect forever. Amazing things. Well, that gets us back, then, 206 00:19:45.769 --> 00:19:51.890 to Paul's letter. Here in Ephesians and and in other places as well, 207 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:56.559 Paul's not just saying hi, guys, it's nice to see you. 208 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:00.920 I have a few things I want to say. He's speaking, as he 209 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:07.710 says, as an apostle of this high priest. He's speaking as one who 210 00:20:07.710 --> 00:20:11.670 has been sent out by Jesus, as he says, Paul, and Apostle 211 00:20:11.789 --> 00:20:17.910 of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, as his emissary to declare 212 00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:23.539 his word. Just as God spoke to Moses and spoke to Aaron and his 213 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:29.500 sons and said I want you to do this and bless my people. Paul 214 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:34.380 is blessing the people, or rather God is blessing his people, through the 215 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:41.529 pronouncement of this benediction. This to the saints who are in Ephesis and our 216 00:20:41.569 --> 00:20:51.000 faithful in Christ, Jesus, grace to you and peace from Paul, know 217 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:55.640 from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as Paul 218 00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:00.160 just sort of bowing hot air here, just saying nice religious, spiritual things, 219 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:07.789 or does he speak with authority in such a way that God actually brings 220 00:21:07.950 --> 00:21:14.549 these things about? It's the latter. For one, that's what he says. 221 00:21:14.750 --> 00:21:18.269 He says he comes as an apostle by the will of God. And 222 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:22.819 second, look at the things that he says after this. Does he go 223 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:26.299 on to talk about how Paul's building is social media platform to get more and 224 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:34.690 more likes and followers? Know Paul is talking about Jesus, not himself. 225 00:21:37.650 --> 00:21:41.450 How were they blessed? Verse Three. Let's just read on. Blessed be 226 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:45.410 the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in 227 00:21:45.609 --> 00:21:52.839 Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Did He really do that? 228 00:21:53.200 --> 00:22:00.039 Did Jesus really bless us in the heavenly places? Sure he did, 229 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:07.150 and he still does. As we read in Hebrews, he continues to intercede 230 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:11.950 for us. As we read in Luke, he raised his hands and blessed 231 00:22:11.029 --> 00:22:18.940 his people as he ascended up into the heavenly places. He chose us in 232 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:22.740 him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holly and 233 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:26.619 blameless before him. And I'm not going to read it all again. But 234 00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:29.099 what does Paul do? He goes on and on and on, just pouring 235 00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:33.730 out blessing after blessing after blessing, as he says the later that he lavished 236 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:38.450 upon us and all wisdom and insight in him, in him, in him, 237 00:22:38.650 --> 00:22:45.680 in him, all throughout this passage. So Paul is a minister of 238 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:52.000 Christ. At the beginning and ends of many of his letters, is speaking 239 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:57.710 on behalf of the Lord and Proclaiming The Gospel that he has been called and 240 00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:06.789 sent to proclaim on the basis of that commission that the Lord, Jesus Christ 241 00:23:07.190 --> 00:23:12.579 gave him and all of us to go there for into the world and make 242 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:19.420 disciples, spread this news, spread the Gospel, bring blessing to the people. 243 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:26.690 And that's what's happening when I stand as a minister in Christ's name before 244 00:23:26.849 --> 00:23:33.170 you and pronounce these or similar blessings. There's no inherent power in me. 245 00:23:34.609 --> 00:23:41.210 My authority comes, as Paus did, from the word of God, from 246 00:23:41.369 --> 00:23:48.440 the call and the Commission of Christ to bring this Pronouncement Grace and peace in 247 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:59.069 Christ Jesus, into the world and particularly on those people whom he has predestined 248 00:23:59.109 --> 00:24:04.029 and love for all of these wonderful things. The gifts that we have in 249 00:24:04.190 --> 00:24:10.180 Christ are not because of a formula or because of some virtue in the minister 250 00:24:10.819 --> 00:24:15.619 they aught. We have them because of Jesus, and that flows out through 251 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:18.900 the rest of this letter and it flows out through the rest of our lives, 252 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:26.849 marked over and over and over again by grace and peace, God bestowing 253 00:24:27.049 --> 00:24:33.569 on us constantly, every day, every moment, every hour, favor that 254 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:40.480 we don't deserve, grace and bringing us into and a state of salvation. 255 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:47.000 We're sin and misery are gone, but instead we rest as those who are 256 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:53.109 chosen and below loved by him. And you know, it's not just me. 257 00:24:55.269 --> 00:25:02.549 I have received a particular calling in my life by God, even through 258 00:25:02.750 --> 00:25:06.789 you, and being called to be a minister of this church, to proclaim 259 00:25:06.910 --> 00:25:11.140 Christ's word in his name. But all of us have this calling as Christians 260 00:25:12.099 --> 00:25:19.259 to bless others. First, Peter Three Nine, do not repay evil for 261 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:26.210 evil or reviling for reviling, but, on the contrary, bless for to 262 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:32.009 this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. Paul says a 263 00:25:32.049 --> 00:25:37.000 similar thing in Romans chapter twelve. This is who we are as Christians, 264 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:41.759 and that's why Paul begins the letter his letters in these ways. We are 265 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:49.470 people who have been blessed by God, richly, wonderfully filled and every way 266 00:25:49.670 --> 00:25:56.269 by His grace and peace. We've been blessed by him and we respond to 267 00:25:56.430 --> 00:26:03.509 that by blessing others. Let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask that 268 00:26:03.589 --> 00:26:07.380 he would continue to bless us, that he would give us the things that 269 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:11.299 he promises in the Gospel of Christ and that he would help us to turn 270 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:15.220 in love and do the same for others. Let's pray