Blessed With All Spiritual Blessings

    Did you have an earthly father?  Yes, of course you did.  On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, how would you rate your earthly father?  There will be only a very, very few people that would rate there father an eight or above.  There will even be some that will rate their father a zero. On what basis would you rate your father as being a great father?  Did he or does he love you? Did he or does he spend quality time with you? Did he or has he left an earthly inheritance for you?  Did he or does he speak blessings over your life? The problem is that quite often because of poor experiences with our earthly fathers, we also see our heavenly Father in the same light.  I pray that you will pray and ask God to give you spiritual revelation concerning the Scriptural truths in this article.

In our culture in America, most families have lost sight of passing spoken blessings on to their children.  Many children today miss out upon the blessings from the Lord because the fathers have failed in their responsibility.  However, in the biblical culture, blessing were extremely important especially when they came from the father in the home.  

Jacob stole the Esau's, his older brother's blessing from Isaac, their father. "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Genesis 27:28-29).  When Esau found that Jacob has stole his father's blessings, he wanted to kill his brother. The authority of the father is significant.  Speaking blessings over children was like prophesying over them. What the father spoke over his children came into being.  

Jacob laid his hands upon the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them.  "And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh"  (Genesis 48:20).

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3).  God was the Father over Abraham through faith.  Therefore, when God spoke blessings over him, He was prophesying what was to come about in the life of Abraham and his seed after him.

Note:  The blessings.

1. He would make him a great nation.

2. He would bless him.

3. He would make his name great.

4. He would be a blessing to others.

5. He would bless others who blessed him.

6. He would curse others who cursed him.

7. Abraham would be a blessing to all the families of the earth.

"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee" (Genesis 17:7).  NOTE:  The promise was not made just to Abraham, but the promise was made to his seed also.

Who was to be the seed?  "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise"  (Galatians 3:16-18).  The seed singular was to be Christ. Even though the Law came after the promise, it did not do away with the promise which God made to Abraham.  Why? It was a promise of God and God can't lie.

So then, HOW DO WE FIT INTO THE PICTURE?  "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise"  (Galatians 3:26-29).  We also become "the seed" and subject to receiving the blessings of the Father by faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.  

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us"  (II Corinthians 1:20).

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"  (Romans 8:32).

Paul addresses the book of Ephesians to the church at Ephesus.   Ephesus was a Greek city and the people there often worshiped pagan gods.  Paul wrote to the church.  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).   We should see that Paul was writing to Christians, not Jews.  Therefore, we can apply this to us as Christians today. God said that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.  Paul elaborates in the following verses.

A.  "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Ephesians 1:4).

1. He looked in the future before he created the world and chose us in Jesus.  How did He do this?  He did through His foreknowledge.

2. He chose us that we should be holy (set apart from the world unto Himself) and without blame (justified or just as though we have never sinned) when we stand before Him.  Why?  It is because of His divine love for us.

B.  "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" (Ephesians 1:5).

1. The word "predesitinated" means to predetermine based upon God's fore knowledge.

2. He adopted us as His own children through Jesus Christ with all the rights and privleges of being His children.

3. He did not do this based upon our performance of good works, but because it was His desire, His good pleasure to do it.

C. "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).

1. He chose us and adopted us while were still sinners that He might demonstrate to the world His glorious GRACE.

2. By His grace, He made us acceptable in the Beloved, Jesus.  (We are just as accepted of God as is Jesus. God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus.)

D.  "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

1. We have redemption through his blood.   To redeem means to purchase back.  It means to free one from bondage though a payment.  Jesus made the payment for all our sins through his blood.

2. We have forgiveness of sins.  Forgiveness is something not earned or deserved.

3. We have this through the riches of his GRACE.  Again, grace is God's unmerited favor.  It is God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

E.  "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence" (Ephesians 1:8).

1. God demonstrated His wisdom in providing salvation for us.  It was not done ignorantly even though to the world it may seem foolishness.

2. Prudence means that God deliberately and carefully carried out His plan of GRACE.

F.  "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" (Ephesians 1:9).

1. It is nothing less than God's divine will to save the lost and bless him. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance"  (II Peter 3:9).

2. It is God's GOOD PLEASURE to save you!!!

3. You are not a Believer by accident.  You just didn't stumble on to Jesus.  God purposed to save you.

G.  "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Ephesians 1:10).

Note: God has an end goal in mind. God has a plan and purpose for your life. The devil is a destroyer, but God is a restorer through Jesus.  He about the business of restoring everything unto Himself though Jesus.

H.  "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Ephesians 1:11)

1. We also have received and inheritance.   "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together"  (Romans 8:17).

2. It has ALWAYS been God's plan to make us His children and His heirs.  He just didn't think of it one day.  He chose it by His own free will.  He chose you.

I. "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ" (Ephesians 1:12).

1. When people see you as a Believer, they should see the glow of God and praise God.

2. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"  (I Peter 2:9).

3. Again, this is based upon your faith commitment that you made to Jesus.  You first trust in Jesus and God makes you an entirely new person in the spirit-man.

J. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).  (Here is several steps.)

1. We first heard the truth of the gospel, the truth.

2. We then choose to trust in Jesus as our Lord and saviour. 

3. Then we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This seal of the Holy Spirit is God's stamp of approval upon our lives.

K. "Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:14).

1. The Holy Spirit in the rebirth is just a down payment of our inheritance.  There is more and more to come.  "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak"  (Hebrews 6:9).

2. The Holy Spirit is to show us our inheritance in Christ.  "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you"  (John 16:13-15).

A. If you have not given you life to Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then the first step is to do just that.  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"  (Romans 10:9).  Upon your faith commitment to Jesus as your Lord, He initiates you into sonship.  He births you into His kingdom. He also adopts you as His own son. Therefore, He makes you His own heir.  "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together"  (Romans 8:17).

B. As a child of God, you have access to your inheritance in the Kingdom.  However, having an inheritance and experiencing it here and now are not the same.  You can have an inheritance without even knowing about it or drawing upon it.   Here are some ways to draw upon it.

1. We must ask in faith.  "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you"  (Luke 11:9).  "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"  (Hebrews 11:6).   "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts"  (James 4:3).

2. "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation"  (Isaiah 12:3).

a. You must believe that there is water in the well.

b. You must believe that you can get water out of the well.

c. You also need an empty vessel.

d. You must let the bucket down into the well.

e. You draw water out of the well with joy.

3. Blessings come through hearing and obeying.  God declared Abraham to be righteous because of his faith in God; however, through his obedience to make steps toward sacrificing his own son, Isaac, God blessed him.  "And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice"  (Genesis 22:15-18).

4. Blessings come through meditation on Word and the application of the Word.  "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success"  (Joshua 1:8).  This is not just focusing on the big Ten Commandments, but in applying the principles of truth found throughout the Bible as the Holy Spirit leads you. 

5. Blessings come through your blessing others.  "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again"  (Luke 6:38).  "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive"  (Acts 20:35).