So if you're asked the question, what does it mean for you to be a Christian? I wonder what you'd say. Well, to a certain extent, your reply, your answer might depend on who you were speaking to, who was asking you the question. If the question came from someone who did not believe, then perhaps you would concentrate on the gospel. You would speak to them about what the Lord Jesus Christ meant to you as your saviour. Perhaps you'd start by explaining that the Bible tells us that we're all sinners who've rebelled against God. And you could go on to explain how God in his love has provided a means of rescue. And you would be able to show that there's hope for those who confess their sin and seek God's forgiveness. And you'd point to Jesus as the one who would make that forgiveness possible. You'll be able to show that he is a substitute dying in our place so that we can call him our saviour. Or if you would ask that question, what does it mean for you to be a Christian by someone who understood the gospel, then perhaps you would speak of Jesus as your Lord and your master. Perhaps you'd reflect on how you seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and live your life in obedience to his word, to live in a way which is pleasing to him. You could explain that you want to resist sin and temptation, but like Paul, you fail. You do that which you don't want to do, and you don't do some of those things that you want to do. But you will be able to testify that notwithstanding those failings, as a Christian, you know that God loves you and forgives you in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of us then would give a different answer to the question, what does it mean for you to be a Christian? Well, in the passage that we read earlier in Ephesians chapter one, Paul gives his own answer to that question, what does it mean to be a Christian? And Paul opens his answer by declaring in verse three that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. A Christian, says Paul, is someone who has been blessed by God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul then goes on to expand what he means by these blessings in the following verses. And he does so with a torrent of words, with each phrase piling one on top of the other, one on top of the one that's gone before. And indeed, in the Greek, verses 3 to 14 is just one sentence. a long sentence of 200 words. Fortunately for us, our English translation breaks it down into manageable sections with lots of punctuation, but you can almost sense Paul gushing out his answer. It's as if he can't afford to take a breath, there's so much to say. You see, he's just got to get the words out quickly enough as he seeks to explain the blessings given to those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, we're gonna spend a few minutes this evening considering Paul's mega sentence, if you like. And we'll do it by trying to answer three simple questions. Firstly, what is the nature of these blessings? Secondly, what's the source of these blessings? And thirdly, what's the purpose of these blessings? What is the nature of these blessings then? Well, maybe you know the story, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. If you do, you may remember that Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by a series of ghosts. There's the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present, and the ghost of Christmas yet to come. or for the avoidance of doubt, I'm not endorsing the idea of ghosts, but there is a similarity between the plot of A Christmas Carol and these verses in Ephesians chapter one. And I say this because Paul starts off by considering the past in verses four to six. Then he moves on to the present situation of believers in verses seven to nine. And then Paul looks forward to the end of time as he moves on to verses 10 through to 14. Now in one sense, these verses are so rich that we could make a huge long list of all the blessings that Paul refers to. Time is short, and I just want to focus on just three that are here for us. Firstly, in this middle section, this section looking at the present, we find an immediate answer that Paul gives to what it means to be a Christian. Look at verse seven together. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. I don't know what you think of when you hear the word trespasses. Perhaps you've been out for a walk in the countryside and on the fence beside the path, you see a sign that reads trespassers will be prosecuted. And we tend to read that as a message that we should keep out. that this is a place where we should not go. Well, there is a truth in that. But it might be better to think of trespass in the opposite sense. Rather than thinking of entering somewhere you should not, think of it rather as leaving somewhere where you should be, where you ought to be. In other words, a trespasser is someone who leaves the path, someone who strays from the direction in which they should be going. And fundamentally, this is the problem of sin, isn't it? Sin is described in our shorter catechism as any want of conformity to the law of God or transgression of it. To transgress means to go beyond the bounds. In other words, to stray from the path. Sin then is leaving the path which God has set out for us to follow. But the problem is that sometimes the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, isn't it? We may convince ourselves that we would be better there. That was certainly true for Christian in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress at one point. This is what it says. As Christian and hopeful went on, they wished for a better way. Now a little before them, there was on the left hand of the road a meadow and a style to go over into it. And that meadow is called Bypath Meadow. Then said Christian to his fellow, if this meadow lies along by our wayside, let us go over into it. Then he went to the stile to see, and behold, a path lay along the way on the other side of the fence. It is according to my wish, said Christian. Here is the easiest going. Come, good hopeful, and let us go over. You see, we can convince ourselves, can't we, that another path is a better way. Do you remember the words we've just sung in Psalm 19? We sang, God's law is perfect. His statutes are sure. His precepts are right. You see, God's law is perfect. There are absolutely no flaws in it. His statutes are sure, so they're trustworthy. And his precepts are right, so there's nothing prejudicial in them. Given all these attributes, you see the danger if we stray from God's path and go a different way. What would be the purpose or benefit in doing anything other than that which is flawless and trustworthy and for our good? Puritan Thomas Watson put it like this, there is no reason to break the law, this law, no more than for a beast that is in a fat pasture to break over the hedge or leap into a barren heath or a quagmire. And yet this is what we all do, isn't it? The prophet Isaiah says, every one of us is like a sheep that has gone its own way. So you see, we've all transgressed, we've all left the path, we've all trespassed and ended in the quagmire. But what does Paul say here in verse seven in Ephesians one? Why in Christ, we have forgiveness for those trespasses. We may all have transgressed and left the path, but says Paul, there is a tremendous blessing in that these trespasses may be forgiven. And not only that, but he explains how this can be free. He says, in him, we have redemption through his blood. The word redemption is a term reminiscent of the Roman slave market. It's the price paid to buy someone's freedom. And this reminds us simply that this forgiveness that we have, this blessing of forgiveness from our trespasses is not without a cost. And what's more, we're told what that price was. For we're told that our redemption was through the blood of the Lord Jesus. When Paul refers to our redemption through his blood, this is shorthand that points us to the cross. The body of the Lord Jesus Christ was pierced. His blood flowed as he was nailed to the tree. There, with nails fixing Christ to the cross, God declares to the Lord Jesus, anathema. The Father says to the Son, as his blood flows, be cursed. This then is the price that was paid. It should have been paid by us, for we should be cursed. But, says Paul, we have been redeemed, and the price was paid by another. Christ was cursed. So we have a blessing that our trespasses are forgiven, and we have a blessing that the price to achieve this was paid by Christ. But Paul goes further. In verse five, we're told, in love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ. Apart from forgiveness and apart from redemption, Paul tells us that we have another blessing, which is a new status as adopted sons of God. What could motivate God to adopt us? Well, this verse tells us that he's motivated by love. Not that there's anything lovely or attractive about us, but our heavenly father sets his love upon us in spite of that. And as adopted children, we enjoy the benevolent smile of the father who has chosen us. Thomas Watson, again, he puts it like this. Men adopt because they want children. and desire to have some to bear their name. But that God should adopt us when he had a son of his own is a wonder of love. Now, since God had a son of his own and such a son, how wonderful God's love is in adopting us. Forgiven sins, redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then adopted as sons of God. Give a stop to consider what that means. An adopted son, adopted child is treated just in the same way as a natural child. And so in a sense, Jesus Christ himself is our fellow heir. He is our heavenly brother. An adopted child enjoys all the rights and privileges of being one of the family. In a very real sense then, the father of the Lord Jesus Christ is our father if we're Christians. Just as the father declared of Jesus, this is my son in whom I am well pleased, So we, his adopted sons and daughters, can be assured that our heavenly Father takes pleasure in us as well. If that's just three of the blessings that we have that Paul refers to here, we need to turn briefly to consider our second point, which is the source of those blessings. So we started off looking at the middle section of this passage to find our present blessings. We need to look back at the first part of this passage, which deals with the past to find the source of those blessings. Look at verse four. For there we read that God chose us in him. or in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in him. It's hard to imagine how this verse could leave less room for doubt about what it means. This verse declares clearly that God chose us before time began. But friends, this is not a verse to win an argument about the subject of election. This is a verse whose primary purpose is to give us assurance as Christians. For this verse tells us that the blessings we have in Christ are not contingent on anything. If we are in Christ, there is no risk that we will lose the blessings that God has given us. Because those blessings don't depend on how we feel. They're not lost if we become discouraged or despondent or depressed. Those blessings don't depend on attaining a certain level of religious observance. So these blessings will not be lost if we fall into sin. provided that that sin is met with confessional repentance. Why? Well, because we've received these blessings as a result of God's good eternal plan, says Paul. Paul goes on for he says that this is a plan which he determined before the foundation of the world. This was a plan made and decided on before you and I were born. This was a plan made and decided on before God ever said, let there be light. And because these blessings of forgiveness and redemption and adoption are according to God's good eternal plan, then you can be assured that that plan will be worked out to its fulfillment. And if you're left in any doubt, Paul reiterates this further. In verse nine, he says, for we are told there that God has made known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose. And again, in verse 11, we were predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things, according to the counsel of his will. Listen, says Paul, these blessings are yours because God has purposed to do so. These blessings are yours because absolutely all things work out in accordance with God's will. And if you're still not convinced that the God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe is able to deliver on this plan that he determined before the foundation of the world, Paul gives us another reason to be sure that he will. We're told in verses 13 and 14 that if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then we're sealed with the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. The seal, we're told, is a guarantee. And again, this is a term from the marketplace. It's a term from commerce. The guarantee spoken of here is a down payment, if you like, something given that removes the doubt about whether the transaction will be completed. Some of you know that the church, our church, is currently in the process of trying to purchase another manse. Now, although we've made an offer, on a property and the offer has been accepted, there's no certainty that the transaction will be completed. It's possible that the seller might change their mind. It's possible that we might find a problem with the property. You see, someone might decide to pull out and the transaction might not complete. But not so with the blessings that we enjoy as Christians. Not only did God Almighty determine that we would receive these blessings before the foundation of the world, but He's also secured the transaction. The blessings of forgiveness and redemption and adoption were purchased by Christ and the price has been paid. But for the avoidance of any doubt that these blessings are ours, the transaction is further evidenced by the gift of the Holy Spirit, because God has made a down payment, if you like, to us. He's placed the Holy Spirit on every believer who is trusting on the Lord Jesus. Well, we've thought about the nature of some of those blessings, and we've thought about the source of those blessings, but we need finally to consider what is the purpose of these blessings? You may remember me saying earlier that verses 10 through to 14 here, in those verses, Paul looks forward to the future. And it's in these verses that we find confirmation of the purpose behind God blessing us in this way, with forgiveness, with redemption, with adoption as the sons of God. In verse 10, we find that Paul looks forward to the time that God will unite all things in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's looking forward to the new heaven and the new earth, which is described for us in Revelation 21. Paul looks forward to a time when we will be with our God and he will be with his people. He looks forward to a time we're told when God himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Paul looks forward to a time when there shall be no more mourning, no crying, no pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away. And Paul describes that future experience here in verse 11, as being our inheritance. In him we have obtained an inheritance. In one sense, you see, God blesses us today so that we will experience the wonder of our inheritance in Christ on that future day. Going back to verse three, God has blessed us in Christ with every blessing in the heavenly places so that we will be blessed. when we eventually receive our inheritance. But there is a further aspect to this, which becomes more apparent if you look a few verses further on, verses we didn't read, but on into verse 18. In this section, Paul gives us an insight into his prayer life. Paul tells the Ephesians what he has been praying for. And do you see what it is in verse 18? He prays that you, the Ephesians, may know what is the hope to which he, God, has called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? See, the apostle Paul prays that the Ephesians will know or understand what their hope is. But do you see what he says the hope is? Look again at verse 18. He does not say that their hope is their inheritance in Christ, but that their hope is his inheritance in them. You see, our inheritance, our end as the recipients of God's forgiveness and redemption and adoption is that we should become the inheritance of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you were to visit the trophy room at Manchester City Football Club, you'd find a display of glistening trophies. And the centerpiece was won this year in the FA Cup final. All the more special, no doubt, because of who they were playing against, their arch rivals. But you know, however grand and shiny those trophies may be, Their value is not in what they are. Their value is in what they represent. Each trophy, you see, tells a story, doesn't it, of months of training, of the effort of all the players, of a multitude of games won against opposing sides. Each trophy represents victory against the opposition. You see, if our inheritance as Christians is to become the inheritance of Christ, then we are the trophies. How perfect and how wonderful we may be in the new heaven and the new earth, freed of sin and freed of all our failings and the fickleness of our faith. No matter how that might be, our value will not be in what we have become. Our true value is in what we represent. Each one of us will demonstrate victory of Christ over the opposition. So friends, you see now how it all fits together. This is the ultimate purpose of God's plan, predetermined before the beginning of time, before the foundation of the world. It's the ultimate purpose of all those blessings which God bestows upon us. Look back at verses five and six. He, God, predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved. Do you see now why God blesses us with forgiveness and redemption and adoption? Yes, because he set his love upon us, but also so that we become His trophy, a reason to give praise to Christ for His glorious grace shown to us. Why has He chosen us? We don't know. Why has He forgiven us? We don't know. Why has He redeemed us? We don't know. Why has He made us holy, preserved and kept us? We don't know. But if you are in Christ, you are His inheritance. You are His most treasured possession. If you're in Christ, you're someone the Lord Jesus would die for. And on that day, when we receive our inheritance, We will not only be united with other believers in Christ, but we will be Christ's trophies, proof of what he has done. We will be his inheritance, declaring his glorious grace. Friends, how do we apply this to ourselves? The Welsh preacher, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones puts it like this. There's nothing higher than this, nothing beyond God's final purpose. It's bigger and greater than our personal salvation. God gives us no greater privilege than to be allowed to look into this. So you see, we live in a world which is preoccupied with our image, our self-image, and who we are measured by popular culture, the world around us. And it's all too easy, isn't it, to measure ourselves in the same way. And we become frustrated, and we become discouraged. But in this passage, doesn't Paul give us a totally different perspective on life? You see, Paul gives us another answer to that question. What does it mean for you to be a Christian? His answer is that if we're in Christ, we have a cosmic and eternal purpose which is to be to the praise of God's glorious grace. So forget about what the world cares about. Your purpose is to be the inheritance of Christ. And he will keep you as a treasured possession for this very purpose. He will keep you to fulfil the plan that He made before the foundation of the world. He will keep you so that for all eternity, your very existence as a child of God will be to the praise of His glory and the praise of His glorious grace. Let's pray together.